


A Deadly Journey to Paradise

by DesertLily32



Series: Shattering Peace (Fantasy Humanized Land Before Time) [1]
Category: The Land Before Time (Movies)
Genre: Blood and Gore, Demons, Elemental - Freeform, Fantasy, Gen, Humanized, Magic, Older Characters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:02:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 29,281
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25898641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DesertLily32/pseuds/DesertLily32
Summary: *Older Gang, Humanized fantasy retelling of 1st LBT movie*The land is dying. Mirth, his mother, and his grandparents must search for a new home or perish. However, disaster strikes the unstable land while a monster is out for revenge. Separated from his family, Mirth must make the journey to the seemingly imaginary paradise without them.
Relationships: Ducky/Littlefoot (minor), Ducky/Petrie (minor), Littlefoot/Cera (minor)
Series: Shattering Peace (Fantasy Humanized Land Before Time) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1879420
Comments: 4
Kudos: 3





	1. A Dying Land

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to Book One of the Shattering Peace series!  
> To make sure you are 100% aware, this is a human fantasy-world retelling of The Land Before Time movies series. In other words, all the dinosaurs have been changed into some type of fantasy human race (Orcs, Elves, Mages, Demons, etc.) I usually write original dark fantasy stories, so this fanfic is more typical of what I write.
> 
> Forewarning: this story is not for the faint of heart. There will be a decent amount of blood and dark themes. 
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own anything from The Land Before Time franchise, and I will not make any money off this fanfiction.

Early afternoon sun beat down on the already scorched earth. Massive corpses of long-dead trees stood like sentinels over the dying land, providing little shade against the unbearable heat. Not a wisp of white lingered in the tainted yellow sky foretelling that yet no rain would fall. None had graced the parched earth for nearly six moons, and none would fall today. One of the worst Shifts within the region in nearly a hundred years had happened little less than a moon ago, leaving the once flourishing land to turn into a barren wasteland. With a realm oversaturated with magic, phenomenon like Shifts were bound to happen. Now, there was near nothing to protect the lingering life from the wasteland’s hostile clutches.

“Mother,” a young man gasped, leaning against a tree. “Can we take a break?” Without waiting for her response, he dropped to the ground, wiping the sweat from his forehead. Slipping his backpack from his shoulders, he ran a hand through his sweat-soaked hair, untying the brown locks and letting them fall a few inches past his shoulders. “I’m exhausted.”

“Mirth…” his mother stared him down, hands planted on her hips, though her lips were pressed in a thin line of worry. “The sun hasn’t even reached the highest point in the sky yet. We need to keep moving.”

“Adore.” A heavy hand fell onto the woman’s shoulder. She followed it to the face of her aging father. His eyes, the color of dried blood, the same color she and her son shared with him, smiled sadly back at her. “We need to rest. Your mother and I aren’t as young as we use to be, and there won’t be a place to stop if we keep moving. There are no more trees, just dry earth.” He swept his arm over the land. “I know you want to keep traveling, daughter. I want to get to The Ring as bad as you do. But taking a break here is better than out there with no coverage.”

Adore followed her father’s hand to the west, lips still pressed in a thin line. Her eyes drifted to where her mother stood, the older woman’s short grey hair slicked with sweat, but her dark brown eyes held the same intelligent gaze as they always did. Finally, Adore dropped her pack beside her son, running a hand through her long light brown hair, nearly undoing the side braids that kept it out of her face.

“We’ll have to keep it quick. This is Odysseus’s home after all.” She dug in her pack, pulling out a metal canteen and guzzled down the water, grimacing at the gritty bitter flavor as she wiped her mouth. “We will have to leave the river in the next few days. It curves east, and I want to keep to the west.”

“Bénipryroda’s Ring,” Mirth muttered under his breath as he picked at the dirt under his fingernails. He wanted to say more but bit his tongue at his grandfather’s disapproving stare. The young man merely cast his russet gaze to the side until another question bubbled to the surface. “How do you know this is Odysseus’s home, Mother?”

“I just do and that’s why I want to pass through here as quick as possible. I don’t want to come face to face with that monster.” Adore crossed her arms over her chest, gaze cast downward as her free hand clenched the fabric of her shirt, fear flickering in her eyes.

Silence fell over the family of four as they settled down in what little shade the large tree provided. Mirth couldn’t keep his eyes off the landscape. He, his mother, and grandparents had left their old home nearly a moon ago when the worse Shift he had ever experienced happened. For whatever reason that he could not wrap his mind around, his mother decided to follow the myth of Bénipryroda’s Ring. It was a supposed magnificent paradise with all the food they could eat, the freshest water they could drink, and where the different magic-bearing human races could live in harmony for once. There were times during their long journey that he resented his mother for splitting off from the rest of their family and friends. As far as he was concerned, he would never see them again because she decided to find someplace only spoken in legends.

Nonetheless, the land was dying. The massive trees that were once full of lush, green leaves now stood as dry, hollow corpses. Their bony hands raked the yellow sky, begging for rain. No clouds had formed since the last rains, and a strange yellow tinge always lingered in the now wasteland’s sky. Hardly any vegetation grew in the parched earth, and water was near impossible to come by. The four travelers were lucky enough to have found a dried-up riverbed some days earlier when they entered the worst of the Shift’s destruction. They had been following the dried river for the past several days now, drinking from small puddles of water that remained here and there. If that was not enough, they dug up the still damp soil and squeezed out as much water as they could from it.

“It’s time to eat.” Mirth’s grandmother’s voice roused the young man from his thoughts as she rummaged around her backpack. She pulled out something wrapped in brown paper and set it between the four of them. “Third, Adore, why don’t you two get some water while I ration out the food.”

The father and daughter duo left without a word, leaving Mirth and his grandmother by themselves.

“Why’d the Shift have to happen, Grandma? I know they’re natural, but this one was so bad, and we had to move. I wish mother would have followed the rest of our family or even Leap’s family. At least then, we wouldn’t be all alone and traveling in the opposite direction of everyone else. Everything just keeps getting worse.” Mirth pulled his knees to his chest, glaring at the food his grandmother rationed.

“I know, Mirth. But your mother made the decision to find Bénipryroda’s Ring. She believes that she can find the paradise. A place that won’t be affected by Shifts.”

“Do you think it exists?”

It was a long moment before Mirth’s grandmother answered. “Your grandfather does.”

“Do you?”

She looked up, a soft sigh escaping her, a deep sadness in her dark brown eyes. “No.” 

A tense silence settled between grandson and grandmother, only for it to be broken a moment later when Adore and Third returned with full canteens. Adore handed her son his canteen along with a small glass bottle filled with murky yellow liquid. Without a word, Mirth took the bottle, and squeezed the eyedropper that had capped it, a few drops of the liquid falling into his canteen. Swirling the water in the container, he watched disheartened as his grandmother placed a few pieces of leftover dried meat back onto the paper, wrapped it, and placed it back in her bag.

“Now that we have something to quench our thirst, why don’t we dig in.” She pushed two piles of dried meat and berries to her daughter and husband and then the third pile to Mirth while she took the fourth. She smiled at her family even though there was pain behind her dark eyes.

Mirth glared at his food, a slight bitterness rising in his heart. It only further increased as he glanced at his mother. Even as he gnawed on his small piece of dried meat, he couldn’t keep the biting question down. “Mother? Why are you looking for Bénipryroda’s Ring when it’s just a legend? We could die out here. Do you even know the way to the Ring?”

“Mirth. Stop it.” Third scolded.

“No! I think we should keep following the river away and out of this wasteland rather than walking through this barren place and dying of thirst, hunger, or getting ourselves killed by a bloodthirsty Demon!” Mirth ran his hands through his shoulder-length hair, nearly pulling it out. “We left the rest of our friends and family to look for some mythical paradise that doesn’t exist. Mother, I don’t want to risk my life while looking for this place when there are safer options out there. Ones that actually exist.” Mirth looked at Adore, russet eyes wide. “Mother, I’m scared. I don’t want us to die out here.”

“Mirth…” Adore leaned over and placed her hand on her son’s shoulder only for it to fall as she glanced at the yellow sky. “I feel it in my heart. I just know Bénipryroda’s Ring exists.” She pressed a fist to her chest. “I want us to live in a place where we don’t have to worry about a Shift ever again. Somewhere safe. A home we wouldn’t have to ever move from ever again.” She lifted Mirth’s chin. “You’ll make new friends, and we’ll reconnect with our family again. Leap’s family trains in the Path of Teleportation. Once she gets wind of where we are, she’ll find us quick. And I’m sure she’s keeping tabs on the rest of our family. Everything will turn out fine, Mirth.”

Mirth turned away from his mother and continued to pick at his food. Adore could only stare at her son and exchange a glance with her father. Third shook his head. The family ate in silence, the hot air increasing the tension between them. It wasn’t until the food was finished, and everyone was sprawled in the shade of the tree that Mirth spoke again.

“I’m going to go for a walk.” Mirth was already on his feet, his pack still laying beside his mother.

“Mirth. You need to stay here. It’s safer.”

“Let him be, Adore.” A loud sigh sounded from Third as he rubbed an aching knee. “I think he needs some time to cool off. Not that it’ll do him much good in this heat, but the boy’s been through a lot in the past moon. I’m sure he needs to wrap his head around some things.”

“Okay…” Adore leaned back, though worry shined in her russet eyes. “Just don’t go too far and be back in an hour.”

Mirth silently nodded, gaze casted to a cluster of large boulders he had seen earlier. “Don’t worry about me, Mother.”


	2. Blistering Flames

As Mirth walked, he licked the taste of dried berries and meat from his mouth. He searched the skyline for any danger, but nothing had changed in the past few days. It was always the same dusty brown flat line marked with trees or pillars of stone. The searing mid-day heat made the land waver before his eyes, but it still looked no different than it always did. As his mind drifted from the hostile landscape to the unforgiving journey his family was on, his surroundings slowly shifted. It wasn’t until Mirth was tying up his long dark brown hair back into its ponytail that, in the first time in nearly half-a-moon, he was seeing grass. It was dried and dying, but it was grass, nonetheless.

The withered brown foliage stood nearly a foot taller than him and, as he brushed his hand through it, he contemplated if the grass was edible. It would surely be tasteless and hard to chew, but it would keep him and his family going for a few more days. Just as Mirth was about to pluck a blade of grass to bring back to his family, he heard a grunt.

He froze, then crouched low to the ground, eyes trained in the direction of the sound. There was no telling what type of beasts survived the dying lands and no doubt would they be as hostile as the wasteland itself. But when the grunt sounded again, Mirth couldn’t deny that it sounded more human than anything else.

Unable to keep his curiosity at bay, he slipped into the clump of dry foliage. With his entire body hidden within the grasses, he peered through the blades, only to stuck in a sharp breath at the sight before him. It was a young woman around his age, and she had fire dancing on her fingertips.

“What…is she?” Mirth breathed, watching in awe as she wielded her flames, seeming to dance with them. The red-orange fire curled and lapped at her tanned skin with each spin. When she punched the air, flames roared off her arm as if powered by the energy of her blow. When she swept her leg low to the ground to knock her imaginary opponent off their feet, searing orange tongues scorched the earth. Every so often, she leaped into the air to doge an invisible blow or backflipped to distances herself from her opponent.

Throughout her training, her short, dark red hair was a wild mane around her head, like fire itself. The young woman’s face was fierce and shaped with sharp angles. For a moment, she stilled, glowing embers floating in the air and ash coating her small training area. Any vegetation within ten feet of her had been burned away, but her clothing had little damage. Made of fire-retardant cloth, only soot stained her dark tank-top and shorts.

The young woman once more dropped to the ground with a sweep of her leg, orange flames billowing off her skin. Popping up a second later, she aimed a flame filled punch at a nearby rock, fire colliding and engulfing the stone. She glared at the scorch marks left on it, fists clenched as more smoke billowed off her knuckles.

“Come on, Rekka.” She scolded herself, voice low and rough. “You can do better than that.”

She raised her still smoking fist, the fire coming to life once more, but she made no move to attack the stone again. A loud buzzing had filled the air. Then, a large blue beetle alighted itself on the rock Rekka had just scorched. She stared it down, her frustration boiling over as the flames flickering on her fists grew brighter. But then, she licked her lips, and from Mirth’s spot in the grasses, his stomach rumbled. The insect was nearly as big as an average person’s hand and would make a decent meal for at least two people, if they could stomach it.

Rekka threw a powerful kick at the beetle, sending a wave of fire roaring in its direction. It buzzed just out of reach, seemingly unbothered by the heat as it settled onto another rock nearby and began to clean itself with its front legs. Rekka narrowed her eyes at the insect and repositioned herself, this time throwing a fiery punch at the beetle. It dodged the wave of flames yet again.

With an aggravated stomp, the fire-wielder lowered herself to the ground and stalked closer to the infuriating blue beetle. Only inches away, and the insect having not noticed her, she raised an open hand, the air wavering around her heating skin. Just as the air around the insect began to crackle with heat, a purple fluid spayed from the beetle’s backside before it took off for good.

Mirth clamped a hand over his mouth to prevent himself from laughing at the sight. Rekka spat the fluid from her mouth and wiped it from her eyes. Muttering a string of curses, the rest of the fluid evaporated from her face and eyes as steam. Through blurry stinging eyes, she glared down the clump of towering grasses. Lips peeled back in a snarl; she approached the dried foliage.

“Who’s there?” Rekka hissed, raising a blazing fist. “Bhuva, Enya, Udia? Are you spying on me? You brats! Dad told you to stay with Mom and that I could train in peace! I’ve had enough of you three bothering me.” She thrusted her burning fist into the dried grasses, knuckles grazing Mirth’s shoulder.

The young man yelped, tumbling out of the grasses as they caught fire. Grimacing at the searing pain in his shoulder he looked up and found himself staring into pale grey eyes the same color as the cooled embers still floating in the air around them.

“You’re not one of my sisters,” Rekka growled, stepping into the blazing foliage to loom over him. “What were you doing? Spying on me?”

“No-nothing? I-I just saw you training and…”

Rekka glared Mirth down, arms crossed over her chest. Her pale grey gaze scrutinized him for a moment longer, a smirk growing on her lips. “I bet you can’t win a fight against me. You look scrawnier than my twelve-year-old sister. Do you even know how to throw a punch?”

“Yes!” Mirth scrambled to his feet, still holding his burned shoulder. “I was just…caught off guard. I know how to fight!”

Rekka snorted, slowly circling Mirth. “Really? You don’t look much like a warrior. What are you anyway? A Simple-Human? Do you really think your scrawny ass can take me on?” She raised an eyebrow, stopping in front of Mirth.

“Of course. I don’t have to be ripped to take someone down.” Mirth raised his fists, readying himself for Rekka’s first move. “Right?”

“Sure, but you don’t look too steady on your feet either, Simple-Human.” Rekka lowered herself to the ground, her smirk growing. Orange flames were once more curling off her bare forearms. She shot forward, flaming hand outstretched for Mirth’s chest. With a jolt of energy to his legs, he barely managed to avoid her grasp, though he couldn’t help but grimace at the intense heat radiating from her hand.

“You can move, I’ll give you that. I guess that’s already more than I was expecting from you.” Rekka circled Mirth once more. In a blink of an eye, she lunged again, a flaming fist making contact with Mirth’s side.

The air was knocked from his lungs as he crumbled to the ground. Gasping for air, Mirth patted the flames out until only smoke wafted from his shirt. Eyes squeezed tight in pain, he slowly eased himself into a crouch. Gingerly, Mirth unsheathed a small blade from his hip and pointed it shakily at Rekka.

“Oh, so you have a weapon?” mocking laughter filled Rekka voice. “Are you sure you’ll even be able to cut me with that little thing?”

Mirth pushed off his feet with another jolt of energy, but the fire-wielder merely side-stepped him and caught his wrist. Skin scorching skin, she wrenched the blade from his hand, tossing the weapon to the parched cracked earth. Laughter bubbled from her throat and the arrogant smirk was once more on her lips. “Is that all you can do, Simple-Human? I thought you said you could fight?”

“Shut up!” Frustration and fear were getting the better of the young man and he aimed a punch for Rekka’s gut. “I can fight!”

Rekka caught his fist. “Is that so?” She leaned in closer, the air around them crackling with heat. “My dad always tells me that Simple-Humans can’t fight. You’re proving him correct.”

“I can fight,” Mirth repeated through gritted teeth.

“Then show me!” Rekka pushed Mirth away, hands igniting with red-orange flames.

Mirth grimaced through the pain of the burns, eyes darting to where Rekka had flung his blade. However, instead of lunging for the meager dagger, he sucked in a deep breath and raised his fists to match Rekka’s stance. In the end, he didn’t need a weapon, his mother and grandfather always taught him that. And he would not back down from the brawl until he landed at least one blow on Rekka. He released his pent-up breath, hoping to calm his racing heart and focused all his attention on his right fist as he stared down the redhead.

“I’m waiting.” Rekka cocked an eyebrow and planted a hand on her hip, leaving only one hand still burning.

When Mirth felt his hand grow warm, albeit the warmth unlike that of the young woman’s flames, he rushed forward with a punch. Rekka caught his wrist once more. “Is that all you gave. Simple-Human?”

“I’m not a Simple-Human!” Mirth twisted out of her grasp and landed a blow to Rekka’s side with a crack.

Rekka gasped, stumbling back as she clutched her side. Her pale grey gaze turned furious as it locked with Mirth’s russet eyes. “That was no normal punch.” She gasped through each breath. “Not even my dad can punch that hard.”

Mirth merely readied himself for another attack, a blade of white energy forming in the palm of his hand and his legs growing warm as energy pooled into the muscles. Sensing this, Rekka’s flames increased, roaring along her skin. With a caterwaul, she flung herself at Mirth, ignoring her own pain. Mirth joined her, more and more energy building up into his fist.However, before the pair could reach each other, a body stepped between them.

Mirth nearly slammed into the man’s chest, his power-charged fist just gracing his sun-darkened skin.

“What do you think you’re doing, boy?” The man glared Mirth down, dark grey eyes burning with hate.


	3. Smoldering Ash

Mirth stumbled back, nearly tripping over his feet as he stared at the hulking man before him. “I-I-”

“Were you trying to kill my daughter?” The man stepped forward, smoke curling off his bare shoulders.

“No-no, sir. We-we were just playing. Yeah, playing. I didn’t mean to hurt her. It was just a friendly little sparring match. I’m sorry. I’ll-I’ll leave now.” Mirth stepped a few more paces back, waving his hands in front of his face. He winced at the motion, finally noticing how much his body hurt. The accumulation of searing burns inflicted by Rekka along with the aching muscles caused by her punches and kicks made him grit his teeth in pain.

“Playing?” the man shouted, stomping a foot, more thick dark smoke wafting off his suntanned skin. “That did not look like playing!” He turned to his daughter standing behind him. “You do not interact with any such races, Rekka. Especially not with this Rahib boy. Elementals only ‘play’ with Elementals.” Those words held an even deeper meaning as the man stared Rekka down.

A whimper escaped Mirth. If the man wielded fire anything like his daughter, he would be done for. Even the man’s mere visage was intimidating. Rekka’s father towered at least a foot taller than Mirth, and his frame was packed with ripped, corded muscle. His dark grey, nearly black hair was cropped close to his skull, and dark stubble decorated his strong jaw. Gruesome scars littered his body. He was a man of great power, and those scars proved it.

“Barrak?” a female’s voice questioned from behind a stone pillar. “Is something going on?” A grey-haired woman peeked out from behind the stone slab. Her pale grey eyes, the same shade as Rekka’s, narrowed at Mirth.

“Just an idiot Rahib kid who decided to fight Rekka. Nothing to worry about, Vahni. Go back to our other daughters.”

“How bad did she beat him up?” The woman sauntered up to her husband, ignoring his command, an eyebrow raised. Her daughter didn’t need to say a word as Vahni’s gaze raked over the battered, bruised, and burned form of Mirth. “That should teach him to think twice about fighting a Fire Elemental.”

“Mama?”

A girl peered out from behind the rock Vahni had walked out from. She pressed herself against the rock, twirling a lock of dark red hair around a finger while she held a bright orange trinket in her other hand. Two additional, older girls showed up beside her. The younger of the two possessed long dusty brown hair, and the other had the same shade of grey as her mother.

“Everything is fine, Udia.” Vahni smiled at her youngest daughter before her pale grey eyes darted up to her two middle daughters. “Bhuva, Enya. I said to keep an eye on her.”

“We are.” It was the dusty haired girl, Bhuva, who had spoken, arms crossed over her chest. “We can see her right in front of us. She’s fine. We wanted to see what all the commotion was about too.” Bhuva then turned to Mirth, who was becoming increasingly nervous. “He’s not a Smoke Elemental.”

“He doesn’t look like a Fire Elemental either,” Udia muttered, still twirling her hair.

“If he’s not a Fire Elemental or Smoke Elemental, what’s he doing here?” The second oldest daughter turned her pale grey gaze onto Rekka. “Did you finally find yourself a boyfriend, Rekka? Are you walking in Paytah’s footsteps?”

“Bhuva!” It was Barrak who spoke, his dark gaze locked on the second-oldest daughter. His stern gaze was enough to make her bite her tongue and avert her gaze.

“At least Paytah took another Elemental and not someone from a different race.” Enya, the second youngest, mumbled, her wavy grey hair falling into her eyes.

“Enya! You don’t say things like that about your brother.” Vahni was now glaring down her daughters. “And Rekka would never take a non-Elemental as her husband. She knows better.”

As an argument broke out between the two middle daughters of the family, the youngest slipped away. It was only when she was a mere foot from him that Mirth noticed her. Thoughts drifted behind her cream-colored eyes, the bright orange fire trinket clutched tightly in her hand.

Mirth stared back, unsure what to do about her. Maybe this was his chance to run. With half the family arguing among themselves, they wouldn’t notice him leave until it was too late. It wasn’t like Udia could do as much damage as Rekka did to him, seeing as she was nearly seven years younger than her sister and him. The young man took a few steps backward, watching what Udia would do. She merely smiled, so he took this as his sign to run.

Then the air crackled with heat, and fire rose around them.

Mirth cried out, but he couldn’t leap over the raging red-orange flames. Udia still stared at him, unphased by the blaze encompassing her. Even as the tongues of fire roared, towering nearly a foot taller than her and lapped at her sun-kissed skin, a sick delight danced in her pale eyes. The flames grew even hotter, their color shifting from the dark red-orange to pure, bright orange. The fire moved ever closer to Mirth, searing his already burnt skin. However, before they could consume him whole, the flames died down, leaving a smoking, black scorch ring.

“Udia!” Rekka stomped up to her youngest sister and grabbed her by the wrist. “You don’t try to burn people alive. Not everyone can handle fire like you do. Even if they aren’t an Elemental, you don’t do that.”

Udia stared up at Rekka, then glanced back at Mirth. “Sorry.” The apology didn’t hold much feeling, that sick delight still alight in her eyes.

“Maybe she should have burned him a little more.” Barrak strode up to the young man. “I don’t need you defiling my people. Get out of here. I don’t want to see you playing with Rekka ever again.”

“Mirth!”

The young man glanced over his shoulder, his mother appearing on the crest of the hill. She raced down, fear in her eyes when she saw Rekka and her family in front of her son. The moment she was beside Mirth, she grabbed his shoulder and pulled him closer to her. “I’m sorry for any trouble my son has caused you. He has never seen anyone other than Rahib before. He must be getting lonely with only me and my parents around.” She tried to give the much larger man a smile.

His frown only deepened.

Adore squeezed Mirth tighter. “I’m sorry for my son’s behavior, sir,” she apologized again, adding a small bow.

Barrak grunted. “Rahib. Always the same,” he spat, dark eyes locked on Mirth as if to say something more. He stared the young man down a moment more before he turned away. “Come, Rekka.”

Rekka, with a smug expression painted on her face, stuck her tongue out at Mirth before following her father. Mirth glared back, but his mother’s hand on his shoulder told him he could do nothing.

The rest of the family followed Barrak and Rekka. Vahni walked beside her husband, the two middle daughters of the family flanking either side of her. Udia stopped to turn around to wave at Mirth, giving the young man a big smile. He merely stared back, barely able to comprehend that the little twelve-year-old had just tried to burn him alive and was now waving back at him as if he were her friend.

When the family was out of sight, Adore shook him. “What were you thinking, Mirth? They were Fire Elements! You could have been killed!”

“But I was having fun with that girl, Mother.” He avoided her gaze, scoffing the dusty ground with the heel of his shoe. “She wasn’t that bad.”

Adore shook her head. “I don’t know what to do with you.” She frowned at the burn marring his wrist, and a sigh escaped her. “Come on. Let’s get you bandaged up. We still have a long day ahead of us.” Adore pushed him along, back to the camp where Third and Sapience waited for them.

The moment Mirth’s grandmother saw him, she was on her feet. “What happened to you?”

Before he could answer, his mother interjected. “He found others. A Fire Elemental and her father. Mirth was playing with her.”

“Mirth, we don’t need injuries while we are journeying.” Sapience dug in her backpack, pulling out a small medical kit. She took out a small jar of ointment and was soon applying it to all the burns her grandson had received. “And your hand is bruised. How many times has your grandfather told you not to overuse the Strength Path? Your body and mind must be trained first to handle a certain path before you can manipulate the energy for it.”

“Sorry,” was all the young man could manage.

Adore sat beside her son, running a hand through his dark brown hair, picking out flakes of ash. As she rubbed the ash between her fingers, her russet gaze raised back to where the Elemental family had retreated. She then turned to Sapience. “Mom, Fire Elementals don’t normally have grey hair, do they?”

“No. Grey hair is commonly seen in Soot, Smoke, and Ash Elementals. Fire Elementals often have orange or blond hair or some other color to match the flames they wield.” Sapience dabbed another splotch of ointment on Mirth’s shoulder, noticing he flinched from a wound on his side. Without a word, she gestured for her grandson to take his shirt off so she could evaluate the hidden injuries.

When Adore didn’t say anything else, Sapience paused, a hand still pressed to a bruise on Mirth’s ribs. “Is there a reason you asked that, Adore?”

“Not particularly. The girl that Mirth had fought with and the youngest had red hair. What I assumed to be the mother and father of the family had grey hair. I remember the stories you told me about Elementals possessing hair and eye colors that match their element to the point where sometimes it by-passes the normal rules of heritage.”

“I guess it’s possible that one or both parents could have had weak Fire Elementals as parents. Or maybe one of them is not the parent of the children. In a realm oversaturated with magic, there are some things that we will never understand.”

“Adore-Eleventh! What happened to my grandson?” Third charged towards them, a map in hand.

“I met a Fire Elemental and had a little spar with her,” Mirth answered, scoffing the dry earth with his heel before he dared to glance up at his grandfather. “It was kind of fun. I got to meet another race.”

“And now we have a target on our backs because her father thinks you were trying to kill his daughter. Mirth…” Adore pinched the bridge of her nose. “Never mind. Once you’re all patched up, we should keep moving. The more distance we cover, the better.”

“It’s been a long time since you got yourself in this much of a mess, Mirth.” Third stood beside his grandson eyeing the bright red burns and dark bruises. “I remember the time when you, Leap, and some other friends of yours went down to the gorge, and you broke your leg. If Leap hadn’t trained so hard in the Teleportation Path, all of you would have been a lot worse off.” He unfurled the map, letting his wife finish bandaging some of the worse burns on Mirth.

“Yeah…” Mirth fiddled with a string on his pants, unable to meet his relatives’ gazes. “I miss everyone.” Gradually, he lifted his gaze to stare at his mother. “Do you think I’ll see that Rekka girl when we get to the Ring? I know she was a bit of a bitch, but…I wouldn’t mind hanging out with her again when her parents aren’t around. She didn’t seem that bad.”

“Mirth…” His mother sighed. “I don’t know if I would let you become involved with someone with such a dangerous family. So many misunderstandings could happen just like today. You were sparing with her, but obviously, her father thought you were going to kill her. I don’t think he would enjoy having you anywhere near Rekka.”

“Well, if she does end up in the Ring, it’s not like you could stop me. I am an adult.” He winced when Sapience prodded a bruise a bit too harshly as if to say, ‘don’t speak to your mother that way.’

“I say we worry about it when the time comes. Right now, we should keep moving. We have several hours before night falls, and it would be great to get as far out of this wasteland as we can. You never know what’s out there, waiting for its next meal or who just wants to eliminate competition.” Third shoved the map back into a pocket and held a hand out for Sapience to take.

On her feet, the elderly woman packed away the ointment and medical kit. Giving Mirth’s wounds one more look, she nodded to him. The young man slipped his shirt back on and pushed himself to his feet. The small family then picked up the rest of their belongings and continued their trek through the dying land.


	4. Chatting and Magical Gifts

Dusk had fallen upon the weary travelers as they sat among the pair of tents they had finally erected. Having just finished the minimal amount of food, they were now enjoying each other’s company before they finally settled in for the night.

“We’ll meet other Rahib when we get to the Ring, right?” Mirth questioned as he absentmindedly drew a shape in the earth.

“Hopefully. I’m not sure I could live with a bunch of hot-headed Fire Elementals.” Adore laughed good-naturally, even though there was a slight tone of bitterness, seeing as her son had just been injured by one that afternoon. “I don’t think I would be able to handle everything burning all the time.”

“Any race is fine, as long as the person is good at heart.” Sapience smiled at her grandson. “Though, it would be nice to have a little Rahib community in Bénipryroda’s Ring.”

“Any race is fine…” Mirth mulled over the words, now drawing a flame in the dirt. “Even the Fire Elemental girl that had injured me today? And what about all the demonic races? Are they fine too? Everyone from our village said that Demons are vile hate-filled people that only enjoy bloodshed.”

“Only if they have a rotten heart. No demon has to kill another person to survive. Their appearance and abilities might be terrifying, but that shouldn’t mean anything if they have good intentions.” Third patted Mirth’s head as he stared out at the horizon. “Our realm is so divided between the different races. I wish it wasn’t. Many people wish it wasn’t so divided. But some people push to keep the division, and some that don’t help the division from mending.”

“Like the Demons everyone talks about, and people like Rekka’s family.” Mirth mumbled, the flame he had drawn now changed into something shaped vaguely like a flower. “Why have the races always been so divided, Grandpa?”

“I don’t have the answer to that, Mirth.”

“Well…” Adore started, her own russet gaze raised to the stars twinkling in the darkened sky. “Some races just don’t like other races. Many don’t like Demons. Sometimes people don’t like another race because they are different from their own race. Sometimes it’s out of fear. Sometimes two clans of a race are at each other’s throats because of a feud that happened long, long ago. Or, they just don’t like that the other clan has a stronger ability than theirs.”

The woman turned to her son. “This world is full of hate, fear, jealousy, and dishonesty. There will always be disputes over who is stronger, smarter, better-looking, or most powerful. Who should get the land? Who should get the money? Or who should lead? And some people are just plain scared.” Adore paused to brush away a strand of light brown hair that had escaped her already loosening braids.

Holding out a sun-darkened hand, a translucent white sphere slowly took form in Adore’s palm. “The weak fear the strong. There is a race out there that has no magic-weaving, no energy manipulation, no vile power, no control over nature, no sixth sense. Nothing. What can they do if they get into a fight with someone who has what they do not?”

“Simple-People,” Mirth breathed the name of the race of people his mother spoke of.

“That’s correct. Simple-People. They are the base to all the other races, in a sense. But many of the other races hate them for being weak. Others think the Simple-People will simply dilute bloodlines if they were to marry into another race.” Adore laughed, a sad smile playing on her lips as she closed her fingers around the sphere. “That’s another thing many people fear. Mixing of races. What would the child look like? What would their abilities be? How would they be treated? Would they be an abomination?”

“And some people just hate other races for simply how they look.” It was Mirth’s grandfather who spoke, looming behind the young man as he too stared out across the land. “Demons with their horns, wings, and colorful skin, or Mages with their glowing eyes and birthmarks. Different scares people. If someone stays with their own kind, they don’t have to expend energy to learn about a different race or clan. They don’t have to forget the bitter ties formed by their ancestors or the fear one person of a race caused them.”

“Being different. That’s all, huh?” Mirth looked up at his grandfather, drawing now forgotten. “I mean, I figured that, but I’ve never noticed how prejudiced some people can be. I’m glad that Rahib don’t have clans. All we do is learn a certain way to wield our energy, and we can learn any Path.”

“That’s true, but we are no better than any other race with clans. Some Rahib families look down upon others if they practice in a certain Path or just a Path that is different than theirs. If Leap didn’t learn the Path of Teleportation, there was a chance that she could have been cast out from her family.”

“Really? I didn’t think they were that strict.”

“Her grandparents are.” Third gazed somewhere far off in the distance. “It would be amazing if everyone could get along. However, that’s not how the world works. Everyone fears something, and many times people fear things that are different. With each race being so different from the next, it’s hard for many people to accept others, let alone work with them.”

“Well, I’m going to befriend people of different races then. I already got the befriending someone from a different clan down. Leap is a Rahib of Teleportation, and I’m a Rahib of Energy Constructs. Well, you’re part of the Speed and Strength Path, Grandpa, so I guess I know Rahib of all sorts of different Paths.”

“Yes, you do, Mirth.” Third ruffled his grandson’s hair. “I know I said Paths are similar to clans, but at the same time, they aren’t. Paths can be chosen; a clan can’t. But it would be nice to befriend different races, wouldn’t it?”

A moment of silence fell between the family as they watched the stars. Gazing into the inky darkness conjured another thought in Mirth’s mind. It rolled around in his skull for some time before he couldn’t hold it in any longer and spoke it aloud. “What race is Odysseus?”

Adore stiffened beside him.

“I’ve heard stories from the villagers that he’s sometimes called the Terror of the Wastes and he’s the most dangerous person in the region. Why is that? Isn’t he just a normal Demon? What clan does he belong to?” Mirth turned to his mother, having sensed the tension.

“He’s something far too dangerous for you to worry about, Mirth, and I don’t want to talk about that monster right now. Let’s just hope we never have to run into him.”

“But didn’t you say my dad hunted Odysseus once?”

Adore clenched her fists. “Yes.” Her voice was barely audible. “It was a mistake.”

“A mistake? Why?” Before Mirth could ask anything more, his mother shook her head and unzipped her backpack.

“I would prefer not to talk about it.” She pulled something out of her backpack. “However, speaking of your father reminded me of something. I have a gift for you, Mirth. It’s something from your father.”

Adore held an emerald stone strung on a thick nickel chain between her fingers. The stone spun in the air, a rune carved into its glossy surface. She smiled sadly at it before slipping it over Mirth’s head. “It was your father’s.”

Mirth stroked the emerald stone, the indentation of the rune carved onto its surface rough against his skin. “Dad gave this to you?” A flicker of white energy wrapped around his thumb. “Do you really think he’s still alive? It’s been nineteen years since you last saw him. He knew where our home was.” Mirth met his mother’s gaze, the necklace clutched close to his chest.

Adore said nothing, merely staring at the sky, sorrow heavy in her russet eyes. “I don’t know, Mirth. I don’t know.” She reached behind her head, fingers slowly undoing the two small braids that held back her long, light brown hair. “I was going to give the necklace to you when we reached Bénipryroda’s Ring but…” she trailed off, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “I felt it would be better hanging around your neck rather than stuffed in a pocket. Keep it as a reminder of your father and the home we had to leave. Your father would have loved to be by your side and watch you grow up into the wonderful young man you are now. That necklace will help you when you are in danger.”

“I kind of see that already.” Mirth released the emerald, a strand of pure white energy following his hand before seemingly melting into his skin. “I barely had to think about putting more energy into my fist.” He clenched and unclenched his hand. “It makes it easier to use energy?”

“Yes. The rune is a powerful one, and it was enchanted with a lot of magic. Not only does it convert magic into internal energy that we Rahib can use, but it also makes using that energy just a little easier. It takes a little less thought. It’s come in handy several times, but I think it’s time that you should have it.” Adore stared at the green jewel that was now settled on her son’s chest, unable to keep the longing sorrow out of her russet gaze.

“Thank you, Mother.” Mirth tucked the emerald into his shirt and turned to the night sky. “I wish I could have met my father. He was a warrior, wasn’t he? He could have taught me all sorts of cool stuff. Maybe a different Rahib Path.”

“I think the Energy Constructs Path fits you well, Mirth.” It was his grandfather who had spoken. “Your father was trained well in both the Path of Strength and the Path of Energy Constructs. However, you don’t have the muscle for the Strength Path. I see more of your grandmother in you than anyone else.”

“I could train in the Strength Path if I wanted to.” Mirth flexed his arm, but there was little muscle there. The young man was of a leaner built than his grandfather, who, even in his old age, held a well-built muscled frame. His grandmother, on the other hand, possessed a willowy, slender frame. She was something more of a majestic nobility who could still hold her own. His mother’s built was somewhere in between, not having the same slenderness of her mother, but not overly muscular either.

“And we all taught you how to master the Path of Energy Constructs.” Sapience smiled lovingly down at her grandson. “Along with hand-to-hand combat and survival in a dangerous wilderness. I think we have been well off without your father.”

Adore looked away from her mother.

“So, what else do you think we’ll encounter?” Mirth was now sprawled out on his back, long brown hair splayed around his head as he stared at the sky. “Do you think other people are traveling to Bénipryroda’s Ring? I’m sure Rekka and her family have to be going there too if they are in this terrible wasteland with us.”

“There are always people looking for Bénipryroda’s Ring, Mirth.” His grandmother eased herself beside him. “The legend about it has been around for centuries. But, to my knowledge, no one has ever found it.”

“Then, we will be first.” Third sat beside his wife, squeezing her hand, and gave her a reassuring smile. “I’m sure other people have found it, but they just don’t want to leave such a paradise. If it’s surrounded by wasteland like this, I wouldn’t want to leave such a great place either.”

“But what about your family? Wouldn’t you want them all with you?”

“What if I took all my family with me in the first place? Like all of you.” Third wrapped the other three in a giant hug. “Then I wouldn’t have to worry so much.” He squeezed Mirth’s shoulder as he looked at his wife. “I believe that Bénipryroda’s Ring has always existed, but that it is so hard to find because other people don’t want us to find it since it’s such a wonderful place. It will take risks, but we are already in the wasteland of Odysseus. We’ll make it to The Ring. All of us.”

“So, how do we get to The Ring from here?” Mirth looked up at his grandfather, gaze drifting to his mother than back to Third. “Please tell me you know.”

“Of course.” Third and Adore said at the same time.

“After we reach the wasteland, we keep traveling east. It won’t be long until we see a mountain range. We want to keep that in our sight and keep walking towards it. We’ll know we are going the right way when we see a monolith that seems to be out of place in the barren landscape, like a massive fragment of rock that had been dropped from the sky and now sits perfectly upright in the earth. And then you must follow the volcanic range. Don’t go through it, just follow alongside it. The volcanoes are close to The Ring, but it is said that The Ring protects the residents within it from any harm a volcanic eruption might cause.”

“So just keep traveling west until we see a mountain range, keep our eyes open for a weird-looking rock formation, and look for some smoking mountains. Is that all?”

“Yes, grandson. The legend is rather cryptic, and that’s all your mother, and I could get from it. Now…” Third looked at the ever-darkening sky. “I think it’s time that we get some sleep so we can get up bright and early tomorrow before it gets too hot. I’ll take the first watch.”

With that, his wife and grandson climbed into the small tents to sleep, Third seated just outside it as he surveyed his surroundings. All was quiet tonight in the wasteland of Odysseus’s home. When it seemed Mirth had fallen asleep, Third turned to Adore, who was still seated beside him, stuck in her own little world.

“You should have told him the truth. He deserves it. You know why Hubris left, and you know he’s never coming back.” Third kept his voice low to not disturb his two sleeping family members within their tents.

“That would only cause more heartache.” Adore brushed a lock of hair out of her face. “It would make no difference if he knew or not. Hubris is gone, and there is nothing that would bring him back.” She raised her gaze to the night sky, eyes shining with unshed tears.


	5. Swamp of Jewels and Souls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: content may be disturbing to some viewers; disturbing scenes ahead.

Insects’ songs filled the heated night air. Mirth lay awake next to his mother, staring up at the night sky, unable to sleep. He had crawled out of the tent an hour earlier to find his mother dozing outside. Assuming his grandfather had joined his grandmother in their own tent, Mirth had sprawled out on the ground next to his mother, hands clasped behind his head. He had tried to fall asleep, but his whirling mind wouldn’t let him. For the past hour, the young man had been staring at the night sky, letting his thoughts drift to and fro. Currently, the moon hung low, and the stars began to fade as the night’s inky canvas was gradually burned by the encroaching sun’s rays. Dawn was imminent and his mother and grandparents would wake with the rising sun. Mirth would not be getting any more sleep tonight.

The young man sighed, rolling over and closed his eyes in an attempt to settle his mind. It didn’t work. He had the urge to stand and stretch his legs. Unable to get any more sleep, Mirth silently crawled away from the slumbering form of his mother before standing. He ran his hands through his shoulder-length dark brown hair as he stared at the sky. The dark blue horizon was tinged with yellow while the stars still twinkled, seeming to mock his inability to sleep. It wouldn’t be long before the sky would take on its typical yellow-tainted hue.

Mirth glanced at his mother as he tied back his hair. It had been hard for her to talk about his father last night, but he appreciated the gift she had given him. At the thought of the necklace, his fingers found the green gemstone, thumb pressing into the rune. Unable to sleep and knowing his mother and grandparents would not be up for another hour or so, he needed something to busy himself. Spying an odd shape looming in the distance, he settled on the idea of a mini-exploration. It would stretch his limbs before he and his family continued their journey.

The young man stuffed his hands into his pockets and strolled upon the hard, cracked earth. As he stared at the sky once more, a dragonfly about the size of his hand buzzed passed his face. Mirth paused, blinking at the large insect as it landed on the ground near his feet. It cleaned its face with its forelegs as if waiting for him.

“There must be water nearby if you’re here,” Mirth muttered as he knelt down to peer at the dragonfly. “Maybe we will be okay away from the river if we follow you.”

The dragonfly paused in its cleaning, seeming to inspect the Rahib towering over it. The insect then rose from its spot on the ground and zipped around Mirth. Its long, iridescent blue body shimmered in the dim light of the rising sun. The beauty of it enchanted Mirth, a smile playing on his tanned features. When the dragonfly finally zipped away, he chased after it. Not only was the insect beautiful, but maybe it would lead him to some water.

Mirth ran after it, calling out to the glittering dragonfly. The Rahib nearly stumbled over the rough terrain several times, but he never lost sight of it. However, as he was looking up at the buzzing, four-winged insect, he was not watching his feet. Not knowing about the sharp downward slope, he stepped wrong and lost his footing, sending him careening down the sharp incline into foul, stagnant water.

Mirth gasped. He sputtered and spat out the murky swamp water, nearly gagging on it. “Gross. This is so gross.” He coughed, climbing to his feet, shaking the swamp water off himself. He grimaced at the dark water he stood in. “I don’t think this would be drinkable even if I poured the entire bottle of purification solution in it. It smells so bad.” He covered his mouth and nose with his hand. “Dragonfly, you didn’t lead me to very good water.” He looked up at the buzzing blue shape above his head.

Mirth’s russet gaze swept over the murky, bubbling swamp, eyeing the rest of his surroundings. It had been the oddly shaped, dark trees that had caught his gaze from a distance. They grew around the swamp, having taken up the water when they were alive. The corpses of the trees were massive and almost dark gray in color.

“I wonder what type they were. I’ve never seen trees with gray bark before. Maybe I’ll see something like it in The Ring.” Mirth rolled his eyes at his own comment. “If there even is such a thing as The Ring. A magical paradise that always has fresh food and water to eat and drink. Where all the races will get along. Yeah, right.” He picked himself out of the swamp. “Not even that Fire Elemental believed in it. Grandma doesn’t either.”

He stood at the edge of the swamp and gazed at the trees once more. They were massive and provided some shade from the searing heat of the sun. However, the foul water chased off any person or creature that thought of resting under them.

Through the bubbling swamp water, Mirth spotted something that was unusually shaped. Unable to keep his curiosity at bay, he struggled through the thick swamp muck to get a closer look. His eyes widened, and he nearly fell backward into the foul water. The object that had caught his eyes was a half-decayed body of a human. Several horns adorned each side of their skull, along with three horns jutting from their forehead. Massive leathery wings hung from their back still mostly intact. The vertebrae of a tail were curled around a rock protruding from the water. Strings of rotting flesh hung from the person’s ribcage, and tendons loosely held the bones together.

Mirth swallowed back the bile rising in his throat as he peered closer at the human remains. His curiosity was unending. Several pieces of gold and silver jewelry had been strung around their neck and laced along their arms. Countless colorful gemstones glittered in the dim light of the rising sun, each with a rune carved into the surface. None of the jewelry was tarnished. Mirth could taste the magic clinging in the air through the foul, festering smell of the swamp. The jewelry was embedded with magic, lots of it. The Rahib stepped closer to take a better look at the runes when something else caught his eye.

The body of a child.

This time, he fell into the water. Mirth’s eyes skirted the edge of the swamp, heart hammering in his throat. The more he looked, the more skeletal remains he found. Most were children. Some were just bones with golden necklaces wrapped around their necks, others appeared to only have died a few years ago with most of their flesh still clinging to their bones.

“Wh-what is this place?” Mirth clambered to his feet, gasping for air only to cough on the foul water and rotten air. “It’s…it’s like a graveyard.”

The Rahib clung to the rune-engraved dagger at his hip as if fearing the remains would reanimate at any moment. He slowly walked backward out of the swamp. His gaze swept over the remains once more. Many of them possessed horns, wings, and tails. Others possessed nothing, their bodies simple like his own. The rotting flesh that clung to some of their bones was obviously not typical of the average human. It was like obsidian: black, sleek, and hard to break. No matter the age, all of them were dressed in the untarnished metals and glittering gemstones.

“What are you doing here?”

Mirth nearly jumped out of his skin. His foot slipped on the steep slope, and he fell backward into the swamp water, again. Gasping, he shot up from the swamp and looked to the owner of the voice.

It was Rekka, the Fire Elemental.

“I-I-I don’t know. I followed a dragonfly here and…” Mirth glanced around the swamp. “Why are there so many bodies here? They’re almost all children, and they are all wearing magically enchanted jewelry. A lot of the bodies are winged, have massive horns, and have tails. Why would someone do this? Who would—”

“It’s Odysseus’s Graveyard.”

“What?”

Rekka rolled her eyes and stepped into the water. “Don’t you know anything about the terrifying beast? He’s an Obsidian-Inferno Immortal that has been killing all sorts of people. Some say it’s because of bloodlust, others say he’s delusional. Because he’s such a monster, people go after his children and lovers. I don’t know if you know this, Rahib, but Immortal children don’t become Immortal until they reach maturity. They are a lot easier to kill before then.”

The Fire Elemental walked deeper into the swamp. She stared at the first remains Mirth had spotted. “Odysseus puts his wives’ and children’s remains in this swamp. He then decorates them with that expensive jewelry with all sorts of runes on them. I guess it’s magic that keeps them from tarnishing. Only the bravest of people come here. There’s a rumor that he’ll know if you steal anything from the remains.”

“Really?” Mirth glanced around, panic in his eyes as he searched for the supposed beastly Immortal. He scrambled to the slope he had tumbled down, swamp water dripping from his clothing. He eyed Rekka warily, eyes darting this way and that for any signs of the Immortal. Rekka simply stood, knee-deep, in the middle of the swamp, hand resting on her hip and a smirk on her lips.

“What?” she asked, pale grey eyes taunting. “You scared, Rahib?”

“N-no.” Mirth stepped forward as if to show her that he had no fear, but it backfired. His foot slipped from under him, and he went tumbling into the swamp water once more.

Rekka howled with laughter. She clutched her stomach, nearly toppling over into the swamp water herself. “You’re so clumsy, Rahib. How can you even survive out here? I would think you would have been eaten by some nasty beast by now. You’re so useless. How did you not know about Odysseus’s graveyard? You’re currently in his home right now.” Her laughter died down, and she wiped a fake tear from her eye.

“Shut up!” Mirth scrambled to his feet, clothes soaked in the putrid water. “I’m not useless! I’m not clumsy, either. I’m just…” he trailed off, gazing at the remains littering the swamp.

“Scared?” Rekka laughed again.

She strutted forward, a devilish grin playing on her lips. She brushed back her thick, dark red bangs from her eyes as if trying to get a better view of the Rahib. Rekka clapped a hand onto Mirth’s shoulder and ignited a small orange flame in the other.

“Wh-what are you doing? You shouldn’t play with fire in a swamp. My mother told me that it could cause an explosion because of the gasses.”

“Don’t worry, Rahib. Odysseus would never let the remains of his wives and children get blown up because someone played with a little fire. I heard he could manipulate black flames himself. They burn hotter than white fire, and they are much, much harder to heal.Within a day, your burns will be festering just like this swamp. In less than a half a moon, you’ll be dead because of the infection. It also hurts like the flames of Sasba.”

Rekka pushed Mirth into the foul water and planted a foot on his stomach. “You’re really pathetic, you know that? You’re just laying under my foot in a swamp while surrounded by human remains. I could burn you alive. It wouldn’t be that hard.” Her flame grew in size.

“I’m not pathetic! You can’t kill me that easily!” Mirth gasped and sputtered as the swamp water flooded his mouth. He nearly gagged and tried not to think of the dead bodies, including those of children, rotting in the water nearby.

“Then why don’t you show me, Rahib?” Rekka pressed harder into Mirth’s chest.

Mirth glanced at the nearest body. It was an adult — a wife of Odysseus. The young man swallowed back his fear and disgust before grabbing Rekka’s ankle. With a jerk, he offset the Fire Elemental’s balance, and she fell into the water. Free, Mirth scrambled to his feet and lunged for the woman’s remains. He grabbed the ruby strung around her neck and wrenched it from her, gold chain snapping with ease.

Mirth turned to Rekka, who was dragging herself from the water, a scowl twisting her sharp features. He held the rune-engraved ruby out as if presenting the gemstone to Rekka. He could feel the tingle of magic that had been stored in the stone. “I-I took a necklace from one of Odysseus’s wives. I’m not scared. See?”

Rekka lunged for him. As if on instinct, Mirth landed a powerful punch to her gut, sending her splashing into the foul swamp water. Just as Mirth had done, she gasped and sputtered. Spitting the water from her mouth, she glared at Mirth. “You little…”

The moment Rekka climbed to her feet, a foreboding presence fell upon the two young adults. It was suffocating darkness. Vile energy crackled. The muggy swamp grew cold to the point they were nearly shivering. They could barely breathe. All they could think about was to run. Danger. Fear. They were going to die if they did not move.

Rekka spun around, pale grey eyes growing wide and mouth agape. She stared at the looming seven-foot frame. There were no words. Her voice would not work. She could barely breathe.

The man towered over Mirth and Rekka. His massive frame was ripped with muscles and covered in sleek, obsidian skin. Several horns curled from his skull and lower jaw. His eyes, like ever-burning orbs of fire in their sockets, stared down at Mirth. They were locked on the ruby that hung from his hand.

“Odysseus,” Rekka breathed. She stumbled back to stand beside Mirth. From the corner of her eye, the ruby flashed. “You took something from his wife… you took something from him! He’s going to kill you! He’s going to kill you! He’s going to kill us both!”

The Immortal stepped into the swamp; flames as black as darkness itself igniting on his equally dark skin. Today, someone would die.


	6. Terror of the Black Flames

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: content may be disturbing to some viewers; graphically violent scenes ahead.

“Run!” Mirth screamed, scrambling out of the putrid water, the ruby necklace still tangled in his fingers. Rekka was just a few steps behind him, gasping in fear.

Just as Mirth reached the top of the slope, Rekka grabbed his shoulder, using it as leverage causing Mirth to stumble back into the foul water. The Fire Elemental glanced over her shoulder at the looming beast behind them, unable to contain her scream. She threw herself to the ground when Odysseus lunged, but the black flames were not for her. Instead, they were driven into the swamp water where Mirth lay half-submerged.

The Rahib shot an arm in front of his face as if it would protect him from the ever-burning, ever-devouring black flames of the Immortal. When only a searing heat flared past him, and the water grew hot, he cracked an eye open. Along the length of his arm, a translucent shield of white energy had formed above him. Cracks spider-webbed through the solid energy, the black flames lapping hungrily around its edges.

Odysseus’s burning red-orange gaze narrowed, a frown etching itself onto his dark features. The man shifted his weight, eyes glancing to where a long-decayed corpse of a woman and child lay feet from him. His gaze returned to the ruby that Mirth clutched in his raised fist before finally locking onto the young man’s face.

The long dark brown hair, the perfectly straight pointed nose, the smooth jawline. He even shared the same eyes. They weren’t the same color, but they held the same spark, even under the fear. The child would be the same as him. More of Odysseus’s beloved would fall by his hands, just like they had fallen from his.

Odysseus’s burning gaze cut through Mirth again, a slight smile growing on the beast-of-a-man’s lips. The young man looked so much like his children’s killer, but at the same time, he looked so much like her. Odysseus’s lips pulled back in a sneer of malicious delight. Sharp teeth peeked out across lips the color of dried blood before a sinister chuckle bubbled up from his throat. An image of blood-red eyes, night-black hair, a sickeningly sweet smile, and familiar innocent boyish features flashed behind his eyes. “Maybe one day, you two will meet.”

With a grasp, Mirth was on his feet, the solid energy finally shattering around him, dissolving into nothingness. Odysseus’s voice was deep, echoing off the corners of his mind like a stone tossed into a damp cave on a moonless night in the dead of winter. Mirth struggled to breathe as he stared up at the muscled bound man in front of him. Skin as black as night, eyes like burning embers, and black flames still flickering across his bulging arms, there was no doubt he owned the title of Terror of the Wastes.

Finally, the young man stumbled out of the swamp water and onto dry land. When Odysseus did not move, he pushed Rekka forward and broke into a run. He guided the trembling Fire Elemental to a grove of overgrown thorns. The pair gasped when they dove into the long-dead foliage, but they did their best to ignore the pain of stabbing thorns as they crawled deeper into the grove.

“We’re going to die,” Rekka whimpered, her pale grey eyes casted skyward as she searched the patches of yellow sky for the form of Odysseus. A moment later, those eyes snapped to Mirth, who had the ruby clutched to his chest, the silver chain still tangled in his fingers. “And it’s all because of you. If you didn’t take that fucking necklace, Odysseus wouldn’t be after us.”

Unwilling to take the blame, Mirth snapped back. “If you didn’t try to drown me or challenge me, then I wouldn’t have taken the necklace.”

Rekka growled, squeezing Mirth’s shoulder, her hand heating up to the point embers were dancing on her skin. Mirth gasped in pain, only for his russet gaze to be drawn upward to the form of Odysseus. The man stood with his arms crossed over his chest and face set like stone.

“Found you.”

In an instant, Rekka tore away from Mirth’s side.

“Rekka!” Mirth’s fingers just skimmed the back of her shirt as she clambered through the thorns. “You’re going the wrong way!” He cursed under his breath, scrambling to his feet to follow the fire manipulator, only to trip and fall, knocking the breath out of him. Mirth tried to climb back to his feet only to feel something wrapped around his ankle. It was a mere vine.

“Shit!” he crouched, trying to untangle the thick vine from his ankle. Out of his peripheral vision, he saw the dark form of Odysseus encroaching ever closer. “No, no, no, no. Rekka!” Mirth screamed, panic engulfing him as he could only watch as the man before him gripped a clump of thorns and tore them out of the ground with his bare hands. “Help! Mother!”

Odysseus’s steps were slow and methotic, a taunting spark in his burning eyes. Black flames curled off his bare shoulders, growing larger as he tore through the thorns. The foliage did nothing, unable to pierce through his thick, jet black skin. As the black flames wafted off the man’s body, they caught the thorns on fire, but that was not what caused Mirth’s heart to nearly stop.

Odysseus was transforming.

He was more beast than man now. An inhuman creature slowly took Odysseus’s place. Brilliant orange gullies split his mouth, a tongue like molten rock slithered out from his mouth, lapping the stone of the now thick black skin. Eyes no longer stared back at Mirth. Instead, it was two pits of fire. Veins of liquid fire glowed under his skin, flowing down his thick corded neck, and across his bulging arms. This was what the true form of an Obsidian-Inferno Immortal looked like.

“I hope this is the last thing you see.” The voice deepened further to a gurgling rumble deep in the man’s chest.

Mirth screamed, tearing at the vines in desperation. Tears formed in his eyes and all he could think about was his mother’s smiling face. In desperation, he tried to run in the direction Rekka had disappeared, but the vine only pulled taut and refused to loosen.

Odysseus slowly approached, a clawed hand raised, and his mouth shaped into something akin to a sneer, his serrated teeth visible. Thick, inky darkness gathered around his fingers, dripping onto the parched earth.

“No!” Mirth gasped. “No. I don’t want to die. Mother!” His shaking hands could barely shape a small blade of energy. However, with one slice, the taut vine gave way, the blade of energy stuck in the vine. The tendril snapped back at Odysseus, the energy blade embedding itself into his eye.

Mirth did not stay to watch, only hearing the Immortal roar in pain as he followed Rekka’s path through the thorns. He swore under his breath when he found himself out in the open again. Rekka was pressed against a nearby rock, her pale grey eyes wide in fear as she watched Odysseus claw at his face.

“What did you do?” her quivering voice was barely audible.

“Signed my soul away to the Terror of the Wastes.” Mirth could only watch, his legs nearly giving out under him as Odysseus charged forward. The energy blade was gone, but in its place was a gaping black hole where the Immortal’s right eye should have been, black blood shining in the rays of the rising sun.

In a blink of an eye, Mirth was on his back, and a clawed hand was wrapped around his throat. Odysseus loomed over him, teeth bared. His black blood dripped onto Mirth’s forehead, causing the young man to flinch. Just as Odysseus was about to engulf the young man in an inferno of black fire, a blade of energy busted from the monster’s chest.


	7. Skirmish with Darkness

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: content may be disturbing to some viewers; graphically violent scenes ahead (even more graphic than the last chapter).

“Mother,” Mirth breathed, spying the woman standing behind Odysseus. He swallowed hard when Odysseus slowly looked over his shoulder to stare at the russet-eyed woman that had run him through with a blade of energy. His burning eyes narrowed before a smile gradually widened the glowing crevasse of his mouth. “Adore-Eleventh.”

The Rahib woman flinched but managed to turn to her prone son. “Run! Mirth, run!” She then leaped away from Odysseus, gaining as much distance between her and the beast as possible. Still, she kept her gaze on her son, watching as he scrambled to his feet and ran out of her sight. As long as Odysseus’s attention was solely focused on her, Mirth would be okay.

When her son was out of her sight, Adore stared Odysseus down. She cursed herself, unable to stop her entire body from trembling. This was Odysseus, Terror of the Wastes. The Immortal who controlled the barren land and possessed an insatiable bloodlust. The man who took many wives and had so many children only for them to fall at the hands of others who wish them dead. The man who took wives and lovers that were not of his own race. And Adore was facing him to save her son’s life.

Odysseus’s glowing eye narrowed as he rubbed the fresh chest wound, smearing blood across his black skin. His damaged eye still oozed blood and fluid. “Your son takes strikingly after his father.” The voice that rumbled from Odysseus’s chest was inhuman as if the bowels of a volcano had taken sentience. “I’m surprised he survived this long. And where is your dear Hubris? Did he not think to save his own child? Or did he unravel your secret?”

A mixture of rage and fear flashed in Adore’s eyes. She gritted her teeth, another sword of pure energy taking shape in her hand. Pushing down all the fear, she willed the rage to burn brighter inside her chest. With a war cry, the woman charged the Obsidian-Inferno Immortal. Odysseus did not move, even as Adore’s blade sliced through his belly and protruded from his back. Malicious delight danced in his uninjured eye as he stared down the woman.

In one swift movement, Adore was on her back. Odysseus was on top of her, straddling the woman as his features slowly morphed to something more human. “That won’t work on me, Adore-Eleventh.” He caressed the woman’s face with an ever lightning caramel-colored hand, relishing the glare she was giving him even as she trembled. “Do you like this form better, Hubris’s whore?”

What now stared Adore down was no longer a demon birthed from the bowels of a volcano. Odysseus had taken the form of a half-naked man. Underneath his caramel skin was thick, ripped muscles. His hair was the same onyx-black color that his skin had been a moment before, and it was a wild mane around his head, unkempt from the transformation. His lone iris appeared as if an inferno were burning inside it, orange and yellow flickering within it, casting their own glow. Odysseus’s recent wounds still marred his body, dark blood coating the right side of his chest, while blood oozed from the freshest wound on his abdomen. The right side of his face was also smeared with blood, an empty eye socket staring at Adore.

“Bastard demon.”

Odysseus chuckled, his fingers trailing down Adore’s neck and along her collar bone. “I am no demon. I was not birthed from nothing by a malevolent deity. I am just as human as you are, Adore-Eleventh. But Immortals are far superior to any other human race. My blood can stop the curse in your family. It already has.” His fingers were now gracing the skin under Adore’s eye as he marveled its russet color.

“Fuck you.” Adore jostled her arm free from Odysseus’s loose grip on her arms. Her fist collided with the side of the man’s head, the crack of his skull resounding through the heated, dry air.

Odysseus slumped sideways, his skin turning dark purple around the temple. Adore scrambled to her feet, forming another blade of pure energy as she stared down the prone man. Odysseus lay on the dusty earth, lone eye blinking, his world still spinning, and mind numbed from the bone-cracking punch. He reached for his bruised temple, fingers hovering over the fresh wound. Slowly, his lone eye locked onto Adore. “You have quite a punch, whore.”

The man dragged himself to his feet, swaying for a moment. “If I wasn’t an Immortal, that punch would have knocked me out cold. Too bad you weren’t trained to harness your strength more, little Rahib.” Odysseus ran a hand down his still blood-wet chest, smearing the blood across his caramel skin before splaying his blood-stained hand out toward Adore. “But your body is too weak for that Path of power. All you can make are…constructs. It’s a shame your son didn’t inherit more from his father. It would be far more fun to kill him if he did and more difficult, but…”

“Don’t you dare touch him.” Adore thrusted the blade at Odysseus, though she clutched the hand she had punched him with close to her chest, her own fingers having turned black and blue. The beast was correct, she wasn’t meant to manipulate her energy into enormous strength like her father.

Odysseus smeared the blood on his hand down the left side of his face, just under his remaining eye. “I wonder if your son would have had Hubris’s eyes if he did not have your grandfather’s curse. He doesn’t.”

Adore merely hissed, the tangible energy blade gripped in her hand growing brighter. Once more, she was charging at Odysseus with her sword, but this time he did not stay still. His hand clasped around her wrist and twisted it painfully before he twisted her entire arm behind her back. Adore could only gasp in pain, the blade of energy vanishing from her hand.

“Adore-Eleventh, I’m disappointed in you,” Odysseus breathed into her ear. “Every walking soul in this region knows not to tussle with an Immortal, let alone one like myself.” He nipped the shell of her ear.

In an instant, Adore drove her already bruised fist into Odysseus’s side. The satisfying sound of his ribs cracking resounded between the two. Yet the man did not move from his position behind her, not until the sickening squelch and smell of sizzling flesh filled the air. Even then, the Immortal’s face merely tensed as the energy blade passing through his ribs burned him from the inside out.

Then black flames ignited across Adore’s back.

She screamed, crumbling to the ground onto her back, desperately trying to smother the flames. It wouldn’t work for the man standing before her would let the fire burn for as long as he wanted them to. Odysseus knelt, wrapping a large hand around Adore’s throat. She kicked at his injured stomach, but the man was unphased. “What use would it be to kill Hubris’s wife when he isn’t here to see it? Still, blood is blood, isn’t it?” He squeezed tighter, and the black flames dancing on the ground around the woman grew darker.

“Mother!”

Everything stopped—Odysseus, lifting his glowing gaze to Mirth, who now stood from his hiding place. The young man paled, coming to terms with his grave mistake.

“His son, on the other hand… It’s a shame he didn’t have more offspring as one of his for seven of mine seems unfair, doesn’t it? Then again, that curse of yours didn’t fair his lineage well. Your son is the only one that survived full-term, and the wretched curse caused you to lose the others.” The man chuckled, slowly raising his hand in the young man’s direction, small flickers of black flames dancing on his fingers.

“No!” Adore drove her entire body into Odysseus, the pair of them collapsing into a heap, saving Mirth from being burned alive.

Odysseus climbed to his feet, but before he could recover, Adore sent a powerful punch into his already injured gut. Then another to his side, and another to his chest. Again, and again she impacted him with hit after hit, even after her hands long since turned black and blue from the trauma. And then she struck him with a monstrous kick to the chest, sending him flying into a half-broken dead tree.

Odysseus howled in pain when his body was impaled in multiple places by the long-dead stub. Thick dark blood pooled around him, but he was nowhere near dead. Adore watched him for a moment, trying to catch her breath, but everything hurt so much.

“Mirth,” she gasped, turning to her son, who had not returned to his shelter behind the rock. “Mirth. Run. We need to get out of here. Now.” She glanced back at Odysseus, who was still struggling against the shards of wood that anchored him to the tree.

When Adore’s son stepped forward, the earth lurched.

“Mirth! It’s a Shift!” Adore screamed, but she crumbled to the ground before her son could reach her. It was too hard to fight through the haze of pain while the earth violently shook.

“Mother!” Mirth shouted. The moment he took another step toward Adore, a fissure opened up before him. Cracks spider-webbed their way across the dry land, and hunks of stone fell into the ever-widening abyss. A pillar of stone erupted in front of Adore, sandwiching her between two boulders. Another pillar shot up just feet away from the still struggling Odysseus who merely snarled at the newly formed stone as if it was a mere inconvenience while he fought to dislodge himself from the tree stump he was impaled on.

“Move!” Rekka’s shoulder jabbed into Mirth’s back, and he crumbled to the ground. A second later, he was pulled to his feet, staring into the terrified face of Rekka. As soon as the young adults were on their feet, they ran, looking for a safe place to shelter from the earthquake. But nowhere was safe.

Everywhere towering trees and stones crumbled while others took their place. Massive ravines opened up into endless chasms of darkness. Steam shrieked from the bowels of the earth, more heat wafting from the fissures. Entire sections of land fell hundreds of feet while others rose. This was by far the worst Shift either of them had encountered.

And then the beast freed himself.

Odysseus’s thunderous battle cry filled the air as he changed at Mirth and Rekka. Covered in blood and gaping wounds, he was a nightmare to behold. A trail of blood splatters followed in his wake, and rage burned in his lone eye. He was starving for blood, and he would get it no matter what.

“Move!” Rekka, pushed Mirth forward again, the pair stumbling along with the trembling earth.

They didn’t make it far before Odysseus was atop them. He tossed Rekka aside and planted a barefoot onto Mirth’s chest. Yet again, the young man was face to face with the Terror of the Wastes, the monster’s dark blood dripping upon him.

However, black flames did not ignite themselves on the man’s caramel skin. Instead, he let out a hiss of pain when orange fire engulfed his right arm, consuming any skin they came in contact with. In a flash, he turned onto Rekka. The young woman glared back at him, fear in her pale grey eyes, but also determination. She stood firm; fists clenched at her sides as she willed her fire to burn hotter.

“Insolent Fire Elemental.” And with a flick of his fingers, Rekka was surrounded by a ring of black flames. She screamed, the fire lapping at her bare legs and arms. Being a different nature to her own red-orange flames, they burned her. 

“No!” Mirth gasped, but he couldn’t stand with Odysseus’s foot pressed to his chest. The pressure increased.

“You aren’t going anyway.” The man’s skin began to blacken, slowly transforming into the monstrous form he had taken earlier. However, before his transformation could finish, a fissure opened up in the earth, and a blast of steam screamed through the crack, scalding the right side of the man’s body.

The moment the pressure was off Mirth’s chest, he was on his feet and charging his way to Rekka. She stared at him as the black flames around her died to smoldering grey embers. Mirth grabbed her and the pair continued racing through the changing land. They could barely keep their footholds, but the roar of Odysseus at their backs kept them running.

And then, Mirth was flung to the side onto a newly formed cliff-edge. With a thud, Odysseus crouched over him, a burning fire in his lone eye and skin as black as tar. Mirth gawked in horror as the Immortal raised a hand, claws glinting in the sunlight. Then, he drove them down towards Mirth’s chest.

Radiant energy engulfed the Rahib, stopping the claws just centimeters from his heart. The energy encasing him was a thin, solid translucent glowing white layer. The emerald that lay against Mirth’s chest grew warm as it fueled the bright shield. Cracks had fractured through the field of solid energy, but as the necklace’s warmth flared to an almost unpleasant heat, the cracks sealed themselves.

Odysseus snarled at the stone, blood dripping from his chin and onto the shield. The Terror of the Wastes raised his fist and smashed it onto the solid energy. Mirth gasped as the vibrations rippled through him, but his shield still stayed near-solid, albeit, cracks spread throughout from the epicenter of the hit.

Then the earth gave way beneath them.

“Mother!” Mirth screamed, only to find himself clinging to Odysseus as he fell with him. A second later, Mirth was suspended in mid-air, a rope of pure energy wrapped around his waist. Odysseus’s form disappeared into the darkness, his roar of fury echoing off the newly formed stone walls.

When he was finally on solid ground again, Mirth turned to his mother. Adore smiled weakly, the rope she had shaped from her energy fading from her hands. The pair embraced each other in a hug, but it didn’t last.

The earth shifted beneath their feet and Adore was sent sky-wards to the darkening clouds on a pillar of stone. Before Mirth could cry out to her, the entire land beneath him dropped several feet as more pillars shot through the air and another steam-filled ravine opened up between him and his mother.

And still, the land kept moving. Families traveling in the Wastes were separated, others wholly decimated. When the earth finally stopped moving, the dark clouds overhead that had been brewing since the earthquake, began to break and torrents fell from the heavens.


	8. Loss in the Rain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: content may be disturbing to some viewers.

Mirth stood alone in the Wastes, drenched to the bone, and surrounded by piles of rubble and newly formed stone structures. Rekka was nowhere in sight, most likely having run off when he and Odysseus fell into the ravine. The fate of the Fire Elemental scratched the very back of his skull, but there was only one thing on his mind right now.

“Mother! Where are you?”

He stumbled through the darkness of the rainstorm, calling out for Adore. Clinging to the emerald that hung around his neck, russet eyes searched the wreckage around him. The rain had quickly washed away the dust and cooled the steam to mere wafts curling off the still heated earth. The world around him was no longer recognizable, and the dark clouds and torrents of rain did nothing to help Mirth as he traversed the ruins. All the young man knew was that he was alone, the land had changed because of a Shift, and that his mother was out there somewhere.

“Mother?” Mirth swallowed hard and wiped the rain from his eyes. He paused, balanced on a large rock, and took a moment to survey his surroundings. As far as the eye could see, fissures had opened the earth, stone pillars and cliff sides had crumbled, and new ones took their places. It looked nothing like it had before the earthquake.

Just as the young man was about to leap off his perch, something caught the corner of his eye. It was a body. The moment his eyes landed on the dark red hair, he knew it was not his mother, but that only calmed his racing heart a fraction.

“Re-Rekka?” Mirth nearly slipped off the boulder, but just managed to catch himself. He stumbled towards the body, mouth agape, staring at the girl beneath the rubble. He swore Rekka had run away as the Shift was ending its course, but maybe she had been unlucky.

However, on closer inspection, the girl was far younger than Rekka. A smattering of freckles decorated her nose and cheeks, and her glossed-over eyes were the color of cream, not the pale ashy grey that Rekka’s were. Mirth shakily stepped away from the body, glad the pounding rain had at least washed the blood from the open wound on the back of her skull.

“Udia.” He spoke the name of Rekka’s youngest sister. She had been the one that had nearly set him on fire when he first encountered Rekka and her family. Even though he had been wary of her, she didn’t deserve to die so young. What would Rekka think, knowing that her sister was dead? Did Rekka find the rest of her family? Was she even alive?

Mirth knelt beside the body. “I’m sorry you died, Uida. I know we only just saw each other a day ago, but you shouldn’t have died today. No one should have died today, but this realm is so unstable, and terrible Shifts happen. I don’t know why this one was so bad.”

He paused, closing his eyes as the rain poured from the dark sky. “If I see anyone of your family, I’ll make sure to tell them your fate. I promise you. Then they at least have some sort of closure.” Mirth spent another moment of silence with Uida’s body before he hauled himself to his feet. He couldn’t waste any more time, he had to find his mother.

With a shuddering breath, he raked a hand through his sopping wet hair, pushing it over his shoulders before continuing his search. Each time he saw something vaguely shaped like a body, his heart lurched. He couldn’t imagine if it was his grandparents or mother, the image of Rekka’s sister replaced with them flashed in his mind. When there was a vague splash of red in the distance, he looked the other direction. Mirth couldn’t bear the thought of seeing Rekka dead. He didn’t want to see any more bodies, but that was all he was encountering in the havoc wrecked wasteland.

At some point, the young man found himself standing in front of a wall of rock. A tawny arm stuck out from the rubble, and a shoe lay just steps away from Mirth. He stared long and hard at the mound of stones, rainwater cascading down his face. What if his mother or grandparents had been buried in rock? Would he ever find them?

A cough drew Mirth out of his trance. When it sounded again, he slowly approached the source of the noise. Someone was alive, but there was no telling their state. “Mother?” The words were barely audible, but a head of snowy white hair lifted from the wet stone.

Half the woman’s body was covered in stone remains, leaving just her upper torso visible. In her hands, she clutched a withered flower, most of the once-white dead petals having fallen off in the downpour and flowed away with the rainwater. The long white hair plastered to her face and ground did nothing to hid her slightly elongated, pointed ears. “Arek?” Lavender eyes peered at Mirth through the rain.

When the woman finally realized that the person who was standing in front of her was not the one she spoke of, her head fell back to the ground. She pressed the dying flower closer to her chest, her eyes falling closed, waiting for imminent death. The slender fragile build of her race was her ultimate doom. It was clear that every bone in the lower half of her body had been shattered, but she felt no pain. She felt nothing below her waist. It was a blessing for the last few moments of her life.

“Let-let me help.” Mirth heaved a rock off the woman’s body, only for more to replace it, one almost crushing the woman’s hands and the precious flower she held. He stared at the rocks in horror but went to remove another one. There was no way he was going to watch someone die.

“Don’t.” The woman’s voice was as soft as flower petals. “My body has been broken beyond repair. I won’t survive even if you get me out of the rubble.” Her voice was choked with tears as her fingers rubbed a brown petal.

“I…” Mirth settled himself beside her, staring at the dead flower in her hands. “Do you want me to sit with you?” Even as he said this, he didn’t know if he could handle the aspect of sitting with the stranger until she breathed her last breath. And his mother was still out there somewhere in the ruined landscape. With the wounds Odysseus dealt to Adore’s body, there was no telling what her situation was. He didn’t want to think about it, but his mother could be in a similar condition as the woman before him.

The woman’s lavender gaze did not move from the flower, a stand of white hair falling over her pointed ears. “You have something more important to do. Let me be. I know my fate. And I know my family’s fate. Go, Mirth. Find your mother.” She rubbed another petal between her fingers and closed her eyes, waiting for the end. “Just tell Arek that I love him. His father will understand, but my poor boy won’t cope so well…”

Mirth stared at the woman in awe. Still, he did not question her, and he slowly stood up and continued his journey, though guilt gnawed at his stomach. It was some time of walking and shouting into the rain before the young man had almost given up. But he couldn’t give up. He had to find his mother.

“Mother!” This time Mirth shouted into the torrents; his voice was nearly lost in a rumble of thunder. He knew he had to find her soon or risk losing her to sickness or drowning in the deluge falling from the sky. “Mother! Where are you?”

“Mi-Mirth?”

The young man’s heart stopped. His gaze found a broken figure on the ground, curled around a large stone. Long brown hair splayed behind it, bruised fingers were curled into permanent, painful fists while the person’s entire back was burned to a blistered bloody crisp.

“Mother!” His voice cracked. Mirth tripped over a slippery stone on his frantic race to his mother’s side and collapsed beside her, barely noticing the rocks slicing into his palms as he stared at his mother’s prone form. “Mother? Are you…” but he couldn’t finish the question, eyes already taking in the damage Odysseus and the Shift had done to her body. He hadn’t found her quick enough. The wounds, the burns from Odysseus’s black flames, the cold torrents falling from the sky…

“Mother…” Mirth’s voice cracked again, the young man reaching out to take his mother’s wrist, avoiding her broken, black-and-blue hands. 

“Mirth…” Adore managed a weak smile and pushed herself into a feeble sitting position. “My son…you’ve found me…You’re safe.” She brushed a broken, bruised hand across his face. “I want you to know how proud I am of you. I got to watch you grow up into a handsome, wonderful young man. You’re stronger than you think. Just believe in yourself.” She smiled, her own tears mingling with the rain.

“Mother…” Mirth tightened his grip on her wrist. “What are you saying? You’re alive, you’ll be with me. You’re not going to die. Here—” He stood up, trying to pull his mother to her feet only for her to let out a pain-filled cry.

Adore shook her head. “No, Mirth.” Her arms fell away from his grasp, and her body slumped back to the ground, Mirth just barely cradling her head before it could smack stone. A trickle of blood dripped from her nose before the rain washed it away. “There’s nothing you can do for me in this situation. I wish this hadn’t happened, and maybe I would have been okay if Odysseus had not attacked, but I had to keep my dear son safe from that monster.”

The woman closed her eyes, sucking in a deep breath through the pain as her son still cradled her head. “I know your father would have been so proud of you if he saw you. I just wish…I wish he had never left us. But he was just so scared of the bleeding and so desperately wanted a family. A healthy one.”

Mirth stayed silent, absorbing his mother’s words in confusion.

“If you meet Hubris one day, please, forgive him. He had lost so much by taking me as his wife. We lost so much, but we also had you. Just try to understand your father.”

Lightning flashed across the dark sky, accenting Adore’s broken state and the horrid wounds on her back. Mirth took his mother’s wrist and squeezed it tight, his tears mixing with the rain. “O-okay… But it’s not like you won’t heal from these injuries. It’s just broken hands and a burned back. I can patch you up, then we can find the Ring and see grandpa and grandma again. Everything will be fine, Mother.”

“No, Mirth.” More blood trickled from Adore’s nose as she smiled sadly up at her son. “I can’t stay here with you. But I’ll see your siblings. The ones that were never born. And I’ll see all of my relatives who’ve passed on. It’ll be okay, my son. We’ll meet again someday. But I hope it’s not for a long, long time.”

“Don’t leave me. Please… Mother. Don’t leave me. Not now.” Mirth stared down at his mother, choking back a sob as he squeezed Adore’s wrist.

“Mirth…I can’t hold on much longer…” Thunder rumbled, long and low through the sky. “I’m just glad you found me before I left. You know the way to Bénipryroda’s Ring, don’t you?”

“I…” Mirth squeezed his eyes shut. “Yes.” He opened his eyes, gazing upon his mother, who still smiled up at him. “Follow the sun until you reach the monolith. Then follow the monolith past the volcanoes, and there the Ring will be.” He stroked his mother’s wrist, unable to say any more.

“I love you, Mirth. Your grandparents will take good care of you when you reach the Ring.”

“Mother…” Mirth could only let out a whimper when Adore’s body went limp, and her last breath rattled from her chest. Slowly, the young man lowered himself to his mother’s side. “I love you too, Mother.”

Sobs racked the young man’s body. He was alone and lost without his mother or grandparents. Mirth didn’t know what to do.


	9. Wisdom from Stone

Mirth stared at the freshly overturned earth, a lone tear slipping down his cheek. He had laid with his mother’s body for nearly an hour as the pouring rain continued to drench him to his bones. When he finally came to his senses, the young man found a small outcrop formed by the earthquake and took shelter but did not sleep. As soon as the rain let up, he dug with an energy construct in the vague shape of a shovel. When the sun’s rays were at their hottest, Mirth had finished burying his mother, leaving a ring of small stones around her gravesite.

Knowing there was nothing else he could do, he trudged on. The young man ignored the unbearable heat, his only thoughts on his mother. By late-mid-day, he could no longer take the heat and found himself in a small cave. There, he pulled his knees to his chest and stared at the cave floor.

A red tear dripped onto the ground.

“Shit.” Mirth wiped the tear away, smearing the blood across his face. “Not now. Please, not now.” He wiped away another bloody tear. “Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.” Mirth buried his face into his knees, a sob escaping him. “Why is this all suddenly happening to me? Why’d you have to die, Mother? Why’d stupid Odysseus have to…” He sniffled, lifting his gaze only for his heart to clench painfully.

The silver chain of the ruby he had snagged off the woman’s corpse peaked out of his pocket. Carefully, he pulled the ruby out and watched it spin in mid-air, more bloody tears rolling down his face. “I was a fucking idiot.” He clenched the ruby as if he could break it. “Why’d I have to steal this?”

He sprang to his feet and violently threw the necklace, which ricocheted off the stone wall before landing back at his feet. The red gemstone twinkled menacingly at him as if mocking the young man for everything that had happened in the past day. Mirth stomped onto the necklace, but when he lifted his foot, not even a crack was formed. With an angry cry, he turned to the other side of the cave and punched the nearest wall. Gasping, he fell to his knees, clutching the now injured hand.

Another sob sounded from Mirth’s throat. “Why? Why’d she have to get killed? Why did I have to steal the stupid necklace? Why’d Odysseus have to kill her? Why did that Shift happen? Why is my life all of a sudden so fucked up?”

“Everyone’s life in the Wastes is terrible.”

Mirth’s head snapped, and his bloodshot eyes stared into dark brown ones swarming with flecks of grey. Dark sandstone surrounded the eyes, blending perfectly with the stone and earth around them. The eyes blinked, and then the owner moved, revealing it to be a person with skin seemingly made of sandstone.

“I…” Mirth withdrew once more, wiping more bloody tears from his face, only to find that his nose had started to bleed.

“You think you’re the only one that has a bad life?” The stone-man shifted his position where he was laying against the stone. Grains crumbled from his skin when he brushed his arm against the nearest wall. The layers of stone that met his joints grated and grinded against one another, and his eyes were filled with a past of hardships and wisdom.

“What-what are you?” Mirth asked through blurry eyes.

“None of your concern. I’m just a loner with nothing to live for.” His grey-flecked eyes stared out into the distance where the last puddles of water waned in the midday heat. The sharp tang of blood filled his nose, but he did not look at the young man, even as more crimson dripped from Mirth’s face. “You’re bleeding everywhere. Poisoned?”

When Mirth didn’t say anything, merely wiping more blood from his face, the stone-man tore away his gaze from the outside. There was sorrow in the young Rahib’s eyes, but no fear of imminent death. It was as if he suffered from the bout of bleeding before. Spying those russet eyes, the color of dried blood, brought another thought to the surface. “Cursed?”

Silence greeted his ears until Mirth finally let out a feeble, “Yeah.”

A loud exhale sounded from the elderly man. “My name’s Terran.” His gaze shifted to the ruby that lay beside Mirth’s feet. “And I think it is damn stupid of you to have stolen something from the Terror of the Wastes. You must be lucky to have escaped death. I would keep it as a memento. You don’t know what it can do. It may come in handy.”

“Lucky…” Mirth sneered, letting the blood drip from his nose onto the dusty ground. “I was nearly killed by Odysseus, the worse Shift I’ve have been in happened, my mother’s dead, I don’t know if my grandparents are even alive, and I’m looking for a place that doesn’t exist. Do you call that lucky!” Mirth loomed, pure energy flaring around his clenched fists. He thrusted a finger at the ruby necklace on the ground. “I don’t want to keep the thing that’s responsible for killing my mother.”

“Settle down.” Terran’s gaze shifted to the outside world once more, admiring the yellow sky and broken land before him. “I don’t need you bleeding all over the place.”

Mirth glared at him for a long moment before slowly lowering himself to the ground. Yet again, he wiped the bloody tears rolling down his cheeks and the blood that now leaked from his nose. He stared at the scarlet liquid smeared across his sun-touched skin. “Mother always bled around the same time I did.”

“Do you want to know what’s worse than having your mother killed by the Terror of the Wastes?”

Mirth didn’t respond, still staring at the blood on his arm.

“Coming back to your village only to see it’s entirety had been slain by the Terror of the Wastes. Many, many years ago, I had been on a journey to retrieve something for someone in my village. When I came back, there were bodies everywhere. No one had survived. An Immortal had killed other Immortals. I don’t know why he did it. We were of different clans, but that has never been an issue with Odysseus. He enjoys seducing women of different clans and races. The only reason I could phantom is that one of our fertile women refused him, and he killed everyone for his enjoyment and her torture.”

This had gotten Mirth’s attention. A mixture of confusion, fear, and surprise danced in his bloodshot eyes. “You’re an Immortal too?”

Terran hummed, taking a moment to brush more dust from his skin. Then, the sandstone that seemed to make up his flesh transformed into something softer. Terran still blended in well with the sandstone, his skin the same color as the rocks around him. His eyes had not changed, they were the same brown flecked with grey. However, without the sharp stony edges of his face, his demeanor wasn’t as hard anymore. It was as if a mere old man had climbed into the cave with Mirth, and they were sharing the space until the unbearable heat of midday diminished. There was nothing unusual in his appearance and wouldn’t have made Mirth look twice.

“Can all Immortals do that? Transform?”

“Yes.” Terran let his head loll against the sandstone he rested against. He dragged a hand across the stone floor, more and more grit following his gnarled fingers. Soon enough, there was a small glob of rolling dirt following the elderly man’s hand. When he flipped his hand over, the dirty streamed on his palm before he clenched his fist shut. “Some Immortals aren’t all that different from the other races of this realm.” Terran opened his fist to reveal a perfectly shaped heart. “Well-trained Earth Elementals can do the exact same thing. But my abilities come easier to my kind and are far stronger. No Earth Elemental can cause an earthquake, but an Earth Immortal can.”

“But, Immortals can’t be killed.” Mirth pulled his legs to his chest, resting his blood-smeared face on his knees. “I wouldn’t be able to get rid of that monster.”

“Oh, there are ways to kill an Immortal, but it isn’t like a scrawny Rahib like you could do anything to Odysseus.” Terran laughed, crushing the sandstone heart in his hand, letting the grit flow to the ground. “Different Immortal bloods run through his super-heated veins. He comes from a small tribe with a mix of fire and darkness manipulation along with a hint of demonic lineage. Not quite a pure Elemental-like Immortal. Not quite true Demon-like Immortal. Something in between. And that something is deadly. Don’t get yourself killed.”

“But he killed my mother!”

“He’s killed thousands of people!” Terran’s shout startled Mirth, but the elder continued. “Revenge is a petty thing. I’ve seen it too many times in my prolonged lifetime. It’s just an endless cycle. Odysseus kills your mother, you kill him, his son kills you, your daughter tries to kill his son. It will never end!”

The Earth Immortal slammed a fist into the stony ground, unconsciously cracking it. Grit glittered on his slowly hardening skin. “What do you think would have happened if Odysseus hadn’t killed everyone in my village? He would have eventually killed all of them, and more because they would have gone to attack him. It seems that it’s human nature to not think of the consequences when your emotions are at the forefront.” Terran slumped against the stone wall, half-stone skin turning back to its softer state.

“In a world as violent and as unstable as ours, hate and the urge for revenge can seldom be avoided. One thirsts for power they do not have; one suffers from it. A vicious cycle.” Terran scooped up the pile of sand once more, cradling in his hands, watching on it slowly formed into a heart again.

“You see,” He turned to Mirth, unphased by the amount of blood dripping from the young man’s face. “Everyone will die at some point, but some at different times than others. Life has to carry on.” Terran offered the sandstone heart to Mirth. “Don’t disgrace your mother and fall to this hostile land’s clutches. Rise up and survive. You’ve already escaped Odysseus, and you have one of his trinkets. Think about what other people will see in you when you wear it. Maybe there is a deity looking upon you even as another curses you. Just don’t fall into the cycle of revenge. It will only end in tragedy.”

Mirth sighed, taking the sandstone heart, brushing off the grit that had not been crushed together. Eventually, his gaze shifted to the ruby that still lay on the floor. Grasping the silver chain, he edged it closer as if whatever magic enchanted it would bite him. Once it was comfortably resting in his hand, Mirth rubbed away the scuff he had put on it with his foot. Still, the dark red gemstone seemed to glitter back at him like a snake ready to strike. This was an object of the monster who had killed his mother. Nothing good would come from it. Nonetheless, he tucked it back into his pocket.

“You’re welcome to stay here for a while longer. I’ll be making my way to another cave soon enough, but I’ll remain a little longer until you stop bleeding.” Terran leaned back and closed his eyes, his stony form rising to the surface and allowing him to blend in near perfectly with the stone around him.

Mirth said nothing. Toying with the emerald necklace, the young Rahib was unable to get the thoughts of his mother out of his head. No one would help him find the mythical paradise of Bénipryroda’s Ring. And if his mother was dead, what was the fate of his grandparents? The questions and thoughts continued to accumulate, curling in on one another and forming sickening clumps inside his mind.

It was some time when his nose stopped dripping blood, and his tears were no longer bloody. During the silence, Terran offered Mirth a cloth dampened by a remaining puddle outside. Mirth took the cloth without much thought, wiping the blood from his face and arms. When the blood was all gone, Mirth simply held the fabric in his hands. “I don’t have my backpack with me. How am I going to survive the journey to The Ring?”

“What Path are you trained in?”

“Constructs.” Mirth demonstrated, shaping a small blade, though the white energy flickered. Sighing heavily, he closed his hand around it.

“For now, that is over half you need to survive. You have any tool you want. Just make smart decisions, and you’ll make it to the Ring. You’re already halfway there. Just take some time to mourn, but then make sure you get moving sooner than later. I’ll be here until you leave.”

Mirth stayed silent, staring at the blood on the still damp cloth. At this moment, he wouldn’t be able to walk in the heat just to continue his journey to a place he didn’t believe in. A place his mother believed in and a place that had killed her in the end. If they had just traveled with the rest of the village… Mirth squeezed his eyes shut, images running through his head over and over. It would be some time before he could get back onto his feet and push through the journey.


	10. To Contemplate in the Wastes

Mirth stumbled through the barren wasteland, mind, and soul numb. The sun hung low in the sky, casting an intense, nauseating yellow halo. The land had yet to cool from the insufferable midday heat, but Mirth could barely register the stifling air nor the sweat making long dark strands of hair stick to his face. All he could do was trudge through the wasteland. It was all the elderly Earth Immortal had asked him to do, to keep following the setting sun west to the fabled Bénipryroda’s Ring.

After leaving Terran some hours ago, Mirth found himself absentmindedly rubbing the blood encrusted on his clothing. His mind drifted here and there, sometimes wondering if the blood was his or his mother’s. The bleeding episode in Terran’s company had left dark stains on his clothing, but which splotches of blood had been obtained when he cradled his dying mother in his arms? Mirth wondered why his mother had to die. Why Odysseus had chased him. Why he had left his mother and grandparents before dawn break. Why all the terrible things had to happen in less than a span of a few hours. It all just hurt so much. He lost his mother, was torn away from his grandparents and was now all alone in the hostile land.

There were times when Mirth forced his mind empty of any thoughts, but the questioning, sorrow, grief, and fear crept back into the silence. With only himself as company and nothing to quell the pain churning inside him, the young man resorted to talking to himself to keep a loose grip on reality.

“Why is the world so cruel?” the question bubbled up as Mirth kicked a stone across his path, gazing at the pillars of sandstone that surrounded him. “I never asked for any of this. I don’t deserve any of this. Only that bloody bastard Odysseus deserves this fate.” This time, Mirth kicked the stone harder, resulting in it ricocheting off the nearest sandstone pillar.

When chunks of stone fell from the column, Mirth stopped and glared at it. “This is all your fucking fault too! Why in the name of Sasba did a fucking Shift have to happen when Mother was fighting Odysseus! We could have run away from that monster if the earth hadn’t become a demon itself.” Breathing hard, he glared down the freshly formed pillar as if it would make it crumble away and reveal his mother alive and well. When nothing of the sort happened, Mirth wiped away a stray tear from his wet lashes and pushed forward.

The rancorous thoughts kept churning in the young man’s head. Each step was harder than the last. How would he survive in the wasteland? Could he do it without his bag or his family? What was the point of pushing forward to a paradise that he didn’t believe in if he was only going to suffer in the end? What was the point of prolonging his suffering? Maybe he should drop dead in the middle of nowhere and join his mother now.

Releasing a shuddering sigh, Mirth ran a hand through his sweat-soaked hair. “I don’t want to do this anymore. Mother…” He raised his gaze to the horizon, unshed tears shining in the dying sunlight. “I miss you.”

The emerald necklace that hung around his neck shined back at him. He grasped it tight, the tears welling in his eyes. His mother had gifted him it just the night before. It was as if she knew she was going to die at dawn. And it had been his wretched father’s. Would his family have ever been in this situation if his father had stayed with them?

“Why’d we have to move, Mother?” Mirth choked on another sob, squeezing the necklace tighter. “Why’d that stupid Shift moons ago have to happen in the first place? We could still be with the rest of our family. We could still be living in our Rahib village. I could be exploring the wilds right now with Leap or bothering Swift about his collection of weird-shaped rocks.”

He stared down at the emerald, still glinting back at him as it caught the sun. “I know, Mother. I know. Keep following the setting sun west and look for the rock that looks like it has been dropped out of the sky and then pass the volcanic mountain range. Then I’ll find Bénipryroda’s Ring. But I’m all alone, Mother. I don’t know if I can do this without you. I’ve never been alone like this before. I don’t even have my bag with me because I stupidly didn’t take it when I chased after that dragonfly. I just have Dad’s necklace and the one I stole from Odysseus.”

A loud sigh escaped Mirth, and he released the emerald from his hold. He made his way down a sandy slope, nearly tripping over his own feet as it gave way under him. “Even the ground hates my existence. What have I done?” He kicked at the sand, spraying it across the ground.

“What have I done to deserve this!” He screamed to the heavens, legs nearly giving out as he stared up at the yellow sky, tears gathering in his eyes. “I don’t want to be alone! I didn’t want my mother to die! And I don’t even know if this Bénipryroda’s Ring paradise even exists! Am I just going to die out here? Alone?” His voice broke, and his legs gave out.

Mirth buried his hands into the sand, unable to keep the tears from falling. He cursed Odysseus. He cursed the Shifts. He cursed his mother’s death. And He cursed Bénipryroda’s Ring. Mirth pounded his fist into the earth, letting out another anguished cry, and before he knew it, he had the ruby he had stolen from Odysseus’s deceased lover grasped in his hand.

Cheeks streaked with tears; Mirth watched the ruby swing on its silver chain. It glinted at him in the dying sunlight, just like the emerald had, but there was no comfort in this gemstone: only hate, fear, and the boiling anger deep in his soul. Mirth snatched the gem from its suspension and squeezed. Even as the edges bite into his sun-tanned skin and blood dripped into the sand, his muscles clenched harder. He didn’t care how much it hurt. That was until a searing pain erupted from the stone.

Mirth dropped the necklace, whimpering as he cradled his injured hand and glared at the ruby with watery eyes. When the throbbing in his hand subsided, he picked up the necklace, bloodied ruby spinning in mid-air. Not caring that more damage could be done, Mirth slipped it over his head. He hissed in pain as the searing heat flared from the ruby once more, nearly burning his skin. However, before he could move it, the heat died down to a gentle warmth. Swallowing hard, the young man thumbed the ruby, which rested just above the emerald. Thumb smeared with the blood he had wiped from the gemstone, Mirth gathered himself. The pain would give him comfort from his thoughts.

The young man’s thoughts fell into silence as he pushed towards the setting sun. His injured hand stayed tucked against his shirt to stop the bleeding since he had no bandages. The wound throbbed with his heartbeat, and he relished each wave of pain. It kept his mind off topics he preferred not to think about. The pain kept away the daytime nightmares and left his mind quiet as he stumbled through the barren land. That’s all he hoped for now: peace and quiet.

It wasn’t until darkness had descended upon the land that Mirth’s mind brewed with unwanted thoughts once more. Though they weren’t as bad as they could have been, they still made him miss the family and friends he left behind. The image of a smiling girl flashed in his mind’s eye. Dusty brown hair always tired back in a bun that he wished she would have let down more often—sparkling dark blue eyes and a smile that could light up the darkest of rooms.

“Will I ever see you again, Leap?” He paused, a massive tree blocking his path, though he continued his train of thought. “I was hoping Swift’s older brother wouldn’t steal you from me, but…” Mirth followed the length of the tree with his gaze, from the roots, up the rough-barked trunk, to the straggly branches reaching for the yellowing sky, dying as they begged for rain. They would have surely been full of luscious leaves only some moons ago. And just like that, the young man’s legs gave out beneath him. “Where are you, Leap? Where’s Swift and his brother? Has he taken your heart yet while you travel land not so ravaged by Shifts?”

Mirth curled up beside the mangled roots that kept the ancient corpse anchored to the parched earth. He bit back a dry sob and buried his face into his knees. “I wonder what you would think of me, seeing me like this. I’m pathetic, aren’t I? Crying in a wasteland, my mother dead, grandparents missing, only the earth to sleep on. I should be with you, Leap. We should be walking side-by-side laughing at the village gossip or some goofy trick Swift had come up with. But I’m out here, in the Wastes, and my mother is dead.”

Mirth wiped away the tears, half expecting them to be tinged with blood. He sniffed and wiped more from his eyes. “I guess I won’t get the chance to ask you on a walk through the market and buy you a bouquet of flowers and that necklace you always wanted. We won’t be able to watch the stars again and listen to Swift’s snoring as we whispered to each other. I won’t ever be able to hold your hand or…” His shoulders slumped.

The young man shook his head, trying to silence the thoughts. He looked up, hoping to see the stars, but only dark clouds covered the sky. “Of course, when night falls, the clouds come.”

Mirth curled among the roots. He had hoped the stars would be out, just for tonight, and watch them like he and Leap did every other night. It would be like she was with him again. Sitting beside him, her dusty blonde hair nearly falling out of its bun from a long day around the village. Her eyes sparkling as she recounted the obnoxious customer who she then disappeared from because she couldn’t take his nonsense questions. The subtle glances she gave Mirth every now and then that he only convinced himself he was reading too much into, her fingers only breaths from his own.

“I miss everyone so much.” Mirth stared at his bloodied hand, mentally tracing the gouges the ruby had bit into his flesh. “I want to go back home. I don’t want to look for the stupid Ring. I want my mother back. I want my grandparents with me. I want my friends back. I don’t want to be alone anymore.”

A gust of wind was the only reply.

Mirth lowered his hand and wiped the tears from his eyes. “I should have taken my chance with you, Leap. Will we ever see each other again? How will you and Swift react if you found out my mother is dead? Will you ever find the Ring? Will I ever find the Ring? If I survive this, I hope that, someday, I’ll see you again. That I’ll see everyone from the village. You, Swift… I just hope that…maybe… your heart won’t be taken yet. I would love to watch the stars with you again, Leap. And hold your hand, at least once. And maybe…” He squeezed his eyes shut, silencing the thought. It was a futile wish.

Mirth rolled to his side and closed his eyes. Tonight, he hoped the nightmares wouldn’t be too bad.


	11. An Offering from the Wind

Sunlight pierced through Mirth’s eyelids as an awfully bright red light. He awoke, an arm now slung over his face, and his body sticky with sweat from the already growing heat. It took a moment for him to recollect his thoughts as the tendrils of sleep unlatched themselves from his psyche. The memories of yesterday’s events flooded back to him, crashing and sweeping the last remnants of drowsiness away.

“Mother’s dead.” Mirth removed his arm, staring up at the yellow-hued sky. The few hours of restless sleep he had managed to achieve last night through the tossing and turning had been wrought with nightmares he had hoped to avoid. Even though he wished to lay amongst the roots of the trees until the pain passed, his mother’s voice whispered in the back of his mind, urging him onward.

The young man crawled onto his hands, only to gasp in pain when his right palm met the warming, hard earth. Left arm giving way, his shoulder jammed into the ground and he lay like a crumpled heap. The wounds caused by the sharp edges of Odysseus’s ruby had turned an ugly inflamed red while the flesh inside glistened. He curled his fingers into his palm, only to suck in a sharp breath. Mirth would have to settle with pressing the injured hand close to his body to avoid the pain.

Dragging himself to his feet, the young man surveyed his surroundings. Like the past moon, there was parched earth, a few trees here and there, and massive stone pillars. With nothing keeping him to the tree, he pressed his injured hand closer to himself and pushed onward. He barely registered the pang of hunger in his stomach or the dryness of his thick tongue.

It was mid-afternoon by the time Mirth found shade under a massive pillar of rock. During his journey, his mind had been numb from any thoughts, and the throb in his hand was the only thing that kept him company. When seated in the shade, the young man finally noticed how dry his mouth was. If he didn’t find water soon, he would surely die of dehydration.

As he ran a hand through his long, dark brown hair, movement caught his eyes. Darting between more stone pillars was a boy who had something clutched in his hands. Just as he was free from the maze of stone pillars, he tripped, the scarlet fruit tumbling from his grasp. With a cry, the shaggy blond-haired boy scrambled to his feet to grab the fruit, only for it to be swept away just inches from his fingers.

He watched with a pout as the fruit floated in mid-air until it landed on the outstretched hand of another blond-haired child. She had just stepped out from around one of the stone pillars. Sharing the same blonde hair and sharp grey gaze, it was evident that she was his younger sister by only a year or so. She gave him a teasing wink before whisking the fruit away, proudly walking off with her prize. Then, another blonde-haired child appeared from behind a stone pillar and tackled her to the ground. The oldest of the three scooped up his stolen fruit, sauntering away much like his sister had done moments before. 

“Bavol!” the sister shrieked. “Give it back!”

“This doesn’t look like yours, Mayrah,” the eldest brother taunted, licking his lips.

“Cause it’s mine!” The youngest of the three lunged for the fruit, but his older brother merely caught him by the arm and pushed him to the ground.

“I don’t think so, Cetewind. I don’t see your name on it.”

“But I found it first. I picked it off the tree, so its mine. Come on, Bavol, I’m hungry.” Cetewind twisted out of his brother’s grasp and leaped, trying to snag the fruit from Bavol’s hand, but he was a good foot shorter than the older boy.

“We’re all hungry, Cetey. And since I’m the oldest and need more food, I should be the one to eat it.”

Before Bavol could put the fruit near his lips, a gust of wind lifted it out of his hand. The fruit danced along with the wind current and into Mayrah’s hands. She held it close, glaring at her older brother before she stuck her tongue out at him. “Too bad you’re terrible at manipulating wind.” The middle-child and only sister of the siblings then sprinted away, fruit in hand.

Cetewind chased after her, a gust of wind pushing him forward. He lunged, catching Mavrah by the waist and plowing her to the ground. She let out a strangled cry as the battered, and bruised fruit rolled from her hand. When Bavol loomed over it, she flicked her fingers, a current of wind lifting the fruit into the air and out of reach of her older brother.

Bavol growled and widened his stance, focusing on the fruit floating high in the air. Cetewind continued to claw up his sister’s body, keeping her pressed to the ground as if he was helping oppress her wind manipulation to stop the floating fruit. And it seemed to be working. The small scarlet orb slowly floated closer to arms reach, Mayrah losing control over her wind currents.

When Bavol reached for the fruit, Cetewind leaped, intercepting his older brother’s grab and then booked it away from his siblings. Yet again, Bovol and Mayrah launched themselves on top of their youngest sibling, pinning him to the ground. The fruit rolled out of reach, and the siblings continued to struggle against one another holds, desperate to keep the other two down as they reached for the fruit.

Suddenly, a tawny hand burst from the ground, spraying dirt from the rupture and grasped the fruit. The siblings could only watch in disbelief as a tween girl emerged from the ground. She shook the dust from her dark hair and stared them down as she chomped into the fruit. All of them slumped in defeat before untangling themselves from each other.

Bavol glared at the fruit-eating girl, but she merely flicked her fingers at him, sending a small pebble flying into his temple. He yelped as she walked away, rubbing the mark on his forehead.

A call from behind made the three siblings turn around. To their surprise, their mother was strutting down the hill, a basket full of fruit held under her arm. Her grey eyes, the same color she shared with all three children, scanned their rugged, dirty appearance. “What were you three doing?”

Bavol shuffled his feet. “I found a fruit. We were all fighting over it.”

“You mean I found a fruit!” Ceterwind cut in, clenching his small fist.

“And then some Earth Elemental girl ate it,” Mavrah added, though she was already eyeing the basket of fruit her mother held.

“Well, I guess you three are in luck. Your dad and I managed to pick an entire basket full of fruit.” She held one of the round red fruits to them. They stared at it hungrily until she gave each of her children a fruit. The family then continued on their way, but not before the youngest paused.

The dirty, bloodied form of Mirth resting in the shadows of a stone pillar had caught Cetewind’s eye. The young boy looked down at his fruit and then up to Mirth. The broken, disheartened face of the young man twisted the boy’s insides. With one more glance down at the fruit, Cetewind walked up to Mirth.

Silently, he placed the fruit in front of Mirth and waited patiently for the older boy to take the offering. When he made no move to take it, the boy pushed it a little closer, almost daring to put it into Mirth’s lap. Still, Mirth did not take it. He merely turned away, as if trying to ignore the boy.

Cetewind glanced back at his family, faintly hearing his older brother calling out to him. Without touching Mirth, the boy summoned a small gust of wind and placed the fruit into his lap. He gave Mirth a worried smile before running after his family.

The young man stared at the bright red fruit that now sat in his lap. A loud sigh escaped him, and he turned his gaze to the cloudless sky as if asking why fate was so terrible to him. As if hearing his mother begging him to eat, he squeezed his eyes shut, letting his gaze fall back to the fruit in his lap.

Mirth picked up the fleshy scarlet orb. It was slightly larger than his hand and possessed a few, thin dark spiky leaves where it had been pulled off the tree. The skin was smooth but flecked with darker spots of red throughout the shiny surface. He had no appetite, but he had to eat.

So, with a quaking sigh, he rubbed away any dirt and dug his teeth into the soft flesh of the fruit.


	12. Petrified Blaze

The fruit hadn’t been much, but it was the push Mirth needed to keep moving. After the family of Wind Elementals had left and the fruit devoured, Mirth continued his perilous journey. As it had been during the morning, his numb thoughts drifted here and there but were not all-consuming. At some point, he ended up traveling alongside a massive split in the earth. As Mirth peered into the darkness, he couldn’t tell if it was the ravine Odysseus had fallen into or not. At the thought, he squeezed his injured hand, bringing the dull throb to a sharp stab. His physical and mental wounds were far too fresh to think about that monster.

He kicked a few stones into the ravine, watching them fall into the abyss, listening to them clang against the stone walls. Thoughts still on the Immortal, Mirth remained at the edge almost as if he was considering falling into the darkness himself. If he could survive the fall, would he find the Immortal’s body, right where it belonged in the bowels of the earth? Or would Odysseus have recovered and was currently stalking the land for Mirth’s sorry soul?

The young man glanced at a large rock that sat precariously balanced paces away. With a shove of his leg, he pushed it into the gaping fissure. The crash of stone against stone jarred memories of the earthquake rather than releasing the tension within his thoughts. It was then that movement in the distances caught his eyes.

Mirth squinted, recognizing the figure to be at least human. The person seemed to be wandering along the edge of the ravine, head turned opposite of the gaping chasm as they searched for something. The closer the person got, the more Mirth could make out: the powerful yet feminine form, the dark red hair, and soot-singed clothing.

“Rekka,” he breathed, his heart skipping a beat. It was another person. He wasn’t alone anymore. “Rekka!”

At the sound of her name, the young woman’s head snapped in his direction. She did not move as Mirth raced toward her. When he was just feet from the Fire Elemental, she stepped back and raised her hands, fire suddenly coming to life on her sun-touched forearms.

“Stay back,” she snarled.

“Wh-what? Rekka, it’s me, Mirth. We met each other a few days ago. We survived the Shift together. We—”

“I know who you are, Rahib.”

“But, Rekka.” Mirth stepped closer, but she stepped back, her fire growing brighter.

“I said, stay back. Unless you want to get burned.” Her ashy grey eyes were stone cold, and her upper lip was curled in a half-snarl. Yet, when her eyes shifted to the emerald and ruby that hang around the young man’s neck, a spark of fear ignited in her eyes.

“Rekka.”

“No! You’re the reason why I’m alone!” She pointed a flaming hand at him. “I’m not with my family because you decided to take that necklace off one of Odysseus’s wives. Now, I’m alone and don’t know where my family is. It’s all because of you that I wasn’t with them when the Shift happened. And you’re still wearing that thing!”

Her hand trembled, even under the flames flickering on her skin. “If he is still alive, he’s going to find you and kill you. He’s going to want that back and make you live the most painful death for taking it from him.”

“He hasn’t found me yet. Maybe he’s given up. Maybe he won’t wake up. That was a pretty nasty fall.” Mirth butted in, desperate to have a traveling companion. He grabbed the ruby with his injured hand to show Rekka it would do no harm, only to let out a hiss of pain when it burned his skin.

“It’s cursed,” Rekka spat, bristling like a feline. She turned away.

“Rekka! Wait! You should come with me to Bénipryroda’s Ring. We wouldn’t be alone anymore. And maybe your family is going there too.”

The young woman glared at him from over her shoulder. “There’s no damn way I’m traveling with you, Rahib. I travel with my own kind. There’s a reason why Dad always taught me to stay away from anything but those of my clan.”

“Rekka, please.” Desperation cracked in Mirth’s voice as he reached for her, stepping ever closer to the red-haired woman. “I don’t want to…”

And then the fire that had been dying out on her arms roared to life. Rekka spun around, the orange flames nearly leaping off her skin as she faced Mirth. “Don’t you dare come near me, or I’ll burn you alive.” Her verbal threat burned through Mirth, and he cringed back from the heat.

“Fire Elementals only travel with other Fire Elementals.”

And with that, the young woman turned away, walking along the same path she had come from.

Mirth was about to let Rekka leave, even as the fear of traveling alone engulfed his entire being. But then the image of the red-haired girl with glossed over eyes the color of cream flashed in his mind. His head snapped up, and he ran towards Rekka’s retreating form.

“Rekka! I have to—”

Mirth choked on his words as an inferno of red-orange flames engulfed him. He gasped from the pain, his bare skin blistering from the heat. But the moment it appeared, it was gone, leaving a ring of soot around Mirth from where he had crumbled to his knees.

“I warned you,” Rekka snarled. “Next time, I will set your flesh on fire.”

All Mirth could do was watch Rekka walk away, the words he wanted to tell her dying on his tongue. Even as her form disappeared over the horizon, he reached out for her. “Your…your sister.” Mirth’s hand fell, and he bit back the tears of frustration gathering in the back of his eyes. He had the chance, but he blew it. “I had promised her…”

In painfully slow motion, Mirth pushed himself to his feet, grimacing at the pain lacing his bare arms and face. Still, just like his injured hand, he was almost thankful for it. The death of his mother and the loneliness he would continue to suffer was pushed back to the depths of his mind when the pain took the forefront.

All the young man could do was push forward to a paradise he didn’t believe existed.


	13. Company with Water

The sun was just dipping below the horizon, and Mirth was still pushing onwards. The second-degree burns Rekka had given him a few hours earlier had become excruciating in the searing wasteland’s heat. Still, he had to keep traveling. It was the only thing he had for himself. Each step he took seemed to take more effort than the last. Breathing labored and every inch of his body aching, he didn’t know how much longer he could last. But he had to keep going. If he didn’t, what would his mother think? What would she think if he gave up this soon? If he didn’t survive and make it to the mythical paradise of Bénipryroda’s Ring, he would be a failure. He wouldn’t see his grandparents, if they were still alive, he wouldn’t see Leap, and his mother would be disappointed in him.

And just as Mirth was about to give up and collapse where he stood, life finally gave him a blessing.

A small oasis was visible in the distance, surrounded by fruiting trees and bushes while water gurgled from a small waterfall no taller than Mirth. With his last ounce of energy, the young man pushed himself towards the water, each step a struggle until he collapsed by its edge, splashing water and mud everywhere. Mud nearly encapsulated his hands, but Mirth took no notice. The mud soothed the wound on his palm and burns from Rekka rather than irritate them. Breathing hard, Mirth simply stared into the cool, clear liquid, heat-addled mind still trying to comprehend that this oasis even existed in the middle of the Wastes.

“Magic…” he coughed. “It has to be magic.” The young Rahib brushed a hand across his forehead, wiping away sweat and grit. Dipping his trembling hands into the water, Mirth rubbed away the dirt and blood he could, hissing in pain when he scratched his wounded hand. He then cupped the water and carefully brought a mouthful of the refreshing liquid to his lips. He was just glad that it tasted good but could only hope it didn’t contain disease. After all, he didn’t have his water purification solution on him.

After drinking his fill and splashing his face with water, Mirth sat back and stared intently at the cool liquid. Bathing was in order. His own body odor had long since made itself known, but it was the dried blood staining his clothes and the grit of the Wastes irritating every crevice it could find that made the idea pleasurable. A bath would be good for both his body and mind. Then, a silvery fish flashed across his vision. He would even have a decent meal tonight. In the past day, Mirth’s mood finally lifted a fraction.

“Wash first, then food.”

On trembling energy drained limbs, Mirth sluggishly stripped out of his sweat-soaked, blood-stained, dirt-caked clothing. A moment later, he was standing, naked, under the waterfall. Eyes closed and head lifted towards the falling water, he relished the cool liquid gliding over his sunbaked skin and washing away the filth of a moon’s journey. Scooping a handful of soft sand from the bottom of the pond, he rubbed it against his body to ensure a cleaner wash. He combed his fingers through his long, shoulder-length dark brown hair, trying his best to undo any knots and wash out the sweat and dirt.

Even when his hair and body were clean of filth, Mirth stood under the water, staring at the dark sandstone before him, eroded near smooth from the flowing water. It reminded him of Terran as if the elderly Immortal was watching over him. Mirth grabbed the two gemstone necklaces that hung around his neck. His mother’s death was still too fresh in his mind. The injury on his hand still throbbed from where the ruby had sliced open his skin. The wound itself had closed over, but the skin remained tender and dark red in color.

With a sigh, Mirth ran a hand through his sopping hair and stepped out from under the waterfall, ringing out the brown locks that hung a few inches past his shoulders. He then took his filthy clothes and began to clean them as best as he could without soap. He rubbed them against rough rocks lining the side of the pond, grimacing as the dirt and blood floating in the water around him.

When his clothes were washed and placed out to dry on the sunbaked rocks around him, Mirth sat at the edge of the pond, still undressed. If he let everything dry in the sun long enough, the rays would kill off any nasty microbes that he had accumulated during the journey and hopefully rid the rest of the smell. Wet clothing was also uncomfortable to wear. Besides, it wasn’t like there was anyone in the vicinity that would see him. Staring into the water, his thoughts drifted here and there. He needed to eat, but…

“Hello there.”

Mirth jerked from his thoughts and looked up to see a young woman around his age paddling in the water. She grinned at him, draping her sienna forearms on a smooth rock jutting up from the pond while her dark blue eyes held nothing but warmth and happiness. “I saw you bathing earlier,” a giggle escaped her as she tucked a stubborn piece of short dark brown hair behind her ear. “I didn’t want to disturb you.”

The young man’s face turned bright red as he covered himself with his hands. Mirth glanced over his shoulder at his drying clothes. Wearing wet undershorts would make everything just as uncomfortable as the young woman staring at him. Oddly enough, she didn’t seem the least bit bothered by his lack of clothing.

“Don’t bother.” She giggled again, swimming up to Mirth and hauling herself halfway out of the water. “I’ve seen my little brothers naked more times than I can count. “What’s your name? I’m Aaralyn.”

“M-Mirth.” He still had not removed his hands, nor had the heat lessened from his face. It didn’t help that she had come closer and was staring right at him.

“Mirth? That’s an odd name.” She shook out her short, dark hair, splattering him with droplets of water.

The young man awkwardly shifted himself so that he wasn’t in full view of Aaralyn. Her casualness about the situation was slowly reducing his embarrassment, but he was still very uncomfortable. “I’m…” Mirth hesitated, remembering what his family always told him about other races and clans not getting along. Maybe she didn’t know he wasn’t like her. He didn’t even know what race she belonged to. Still, the young woman’s eyes were so bright with life, and he was desperate to have a companion. “I’m a Rahib. It’s a tradition to give children names like mine.”

“Oh! I’ve never heard about Rahib.” Aaralyn climbed out of the water and sat beside Mirth. With a flick of her hand, water droplets rose from her loose-fitted undergarments and into the air, gathering in her hand. “I’m a Water Elemental if you can’t tell.” She giggled again, bouncing the glob of water in mid-air “Are you hungry? You look hungry.”

Yet again, Mirth found himself struggling for words. The young woman seated beside him was nothing he had expected to find in the Wastes. A brutish warrior woman who chased him away from the oasis and tried to impale him with a flaming sword? Yes. But not someone so carefree and bubbly. After a moment, he finally managed a strangled, “yes.”

“Are you okay with fish?” Before he could answer, a pair of silver-scaled fish was lifted out of the pond in a jiggling glob of water. Aaralyn twisted her wrists, and all the water pulled away from the fish, and they fell into her lap, not moving.

“Meat is good,” was all Mirth managed, staring at the fish in Aaralyn’s lap.

The Water Elemental giggled and drew water into her palm, shaping it into the form of a knife. Along the blade, the water solidified but did not freeze. With a few flicks of her wrists, the fish were descaled and filleted. The water knife falling back into the pond, Aaralyn climbed to her feet and quickly started a small fire from previously gathered material. Soon enough, the fish fillets were roasting on a large heated stone.

“Can-can all Water Elementals do that?”

Aaralyn hummed in question as she gathered a few large fruits and berries from the trees and bushes growing around the small oasis. “It matters how well they’re trained.” She popped up on her tiptoes to tug a pale fruit from a tree. “I just happened to have a very skilled mother. She taught me almost everything I know about advanced water manipulating.”

“Can other Elementals shape stuff like you can?” An image of Rekka and her sisters flashed across his mind. Then Mirth’s stomach growled, the smell of roasting fish, making the hunger pangs that he had been ignoring for the past day known.

“Earth Elementals can shape things the easiest.” The dark-haired woman was now plucking plump dark berries from a bush, popping one in her mouth every so often. “I think Water Elementals have it second-easiest, unless a person’s some sort of Ice Elemental, obviously. It’s sometimes hard to get the water solid enough, though. A lot of the other Elemental’s weird manipulations are intangible and really hard to make weapons out of. Like fire or wind. Actually, now that I think about it…”

Aaralyn trailed off, waddling over with an armful of fruit and dumping it in front of the fire. “I think Dark and Light Elementals might find it almost as easy to shape their element as Earth Elementals. I’ve only met one Light Elemental in my village, but he could make orbs of light like it was nothing… Honestly, there are too many subraces to think about.” She playfully rolled her eyes and swatted the air.

“I didn’t think Elementals had a lot of subraces. Rahib don’t have that many Paths.”

“Paths?” Aaralyn was now stooped over a simple bag near the waterfall, pulling out a flowing dress, her feet already stuck in a pair of pale sandals.

“I guess they are like subraces. All Rahib can do them, but since they are so complex, we normally only choose one, maybe two Path’s to master. I guess there’s a little bit of hereditary to it. My grandpa is part of the Strength Path and is a lot more muscular than me. If I tried to do anything with that Path, I would break my hand or foot.” Mirth grimaced at his words, the image of his mother’s black-and-blue hands surfacing.

“Interesting.” The Water Elemental was finally seated in front of Mirth, now clade in a pale blue dress that flowed passed her knees. She ran a hand through her short, dark pixie cut hair, eyes catching the sorrow in the young man’s gaze. She was about to say something, only for the sadness to be replaced by embarrassment, accompanied by reddening cheeks. He was still stark naked.

Another giggle drifted from Aaralyn. “Here, let me help you.” Climbing to her feet once more, the Water Elemental picked up Mirth’s undershorts and drew the water out of them, leaving them completely dry. A teasing twinkle danced in her dark blue eyes as she held them out to him, no words needed.

Mirth’s face grew even warmer as he took the undergarment with an awkward mutter of thanks. He turned around and slipped them on before sitting in front of the fire once more, Aaralyn seated on the other side.

“There, now you won’t have to sit funny anymore. Though, it’s not like I haven’t seen a man before.” She giggled again, enjoying Mirth’s bashful glance away. “Now, let’s eat. The fish is done.” She portioned the fruit between Mirth and herself and shoved a smaller stone with a fish fillet on it toward the young man.

“What brings you here, all alone?” Aaralyn asked, picking a bone out of her fish. “I haven’t seen many people out here, and not many alone like you or as young as you.” She was now rolling a dark berry between her fingers as if debating to eat it or a bite of her fish.

“I wasn’t alone at first…” Mirth rolled a few of the berries around in his hand. “I was traveling with my grandparents and my mother, but then… the Shift happened, and I was separated from them.” He reached his free hand for the emerald that hung around his neck. “My…my mother was killed by Odysseus.”

Aaralyn dropped the berry she was about to pop in her mouth, her mouth agape. “Oh, I’m so, so sorry.” She abandoned her food and reached across the small fire to squeeze Mirth’s wrist. “I don’t know what I would do if any of my family died. And you’re traveling all by yourself. Do you even know where you’re going?”

“Some mythical place called Bénipryroda’s Ring. I don’t—”

“My family was going there too!” Aaralyn was on her feet, fists clenched in excitement, and the water beside them rippled. “We can travel together. My mom and dad and siblings were all traveling from our other home because some village riot and we wanted a better place to stay. Some of my siblings convinced Mom and Dad to look for Béni’s Ring. I got separated from them during that terrible Shift yesterday, but now I have another person to travel with.” She danced in place, nearly squealing with excitement. “I won’t be alone anymore!”

A loud sigh escaped Mirth, but he couldn’t help but smile up at the young woman. Even through the bitterness and grief since his lonely journey had started, it seemed he had found a light in the darkness.

“Okay. We can travel together. But maybe we should stay here for a few days to drink and eat as much as we can. Rest and relax for a little while before we keep looking for this mythical paradise.” Even as he said this, Mirth didn’t know if he would ever find Bénipryroda’s Ring, but at least now he had a companion, and he knew that one way or another, they would find somewhere better than the Wastes.


	14. He Who Climbs Trees

Mirth and Aaralyn stayed in the small oasis for the next few days as planned, regaining their strength and getting to know each other. Without the worry of food and water, it allowed Mirth to heal some from the emotional wounds of his mother’s death. It helped tremulously having a traveling companion he could express the pain to, the healing process becoming easier. Though, Mirth hadn’t meant to speak of the inner turmoil to the Water Elemental at first. The first time he woke from a nightmare and she was beside him, asking what was wrong, and he had spilled nearly everything. Shame followed it, as he blubbered like an idiot in front of a cute stranger. She had sung him to sleep with the same lullaby that she had sung every night since he had been in her company. After the incident, though, Mirth found it easier to express his emotions to Aaralyn. He could have never imagined how much she eased the pain. Aaralyn knew nothing but sympathy and kindness for his suffering. In some ways, Mirth couldn’t help but think of Leap when he looked at the Water Elemental. Her nightly lullabies also always helped soothe his soul before he fell asleep.

When they left the oasis, the odd duo continued their journey through a massive forest of strange trees. They both decided it would be best to stay by plants, knowing water had to be nearby to keep them thriving and that it was more likely to find edibles in the forest than in a desolate wasteland. Still, for some reason, the forest put Aaralyn on edge. The trees were an odd array of colors, and the air was heavy and humid, unlike the dry, scratchy air of the rest of the wasteland. Those traits shouldn’t have put the Water Elemental on edge, but for some reason, she couldn’t get out of the forest fast enough. 

Currently, Aaralyn walked close to Mirth, dark blue eyes darting this way and that. Her bubbly personality had evaporated the moment they stepped into the eerie forest. When she suggested that they go back to the oasis, Mirth refused. They had to keep moving, and he figured the forest was their best option. She flinched when a strange creature glided from treetop to treetop. It landed just overhead, giving a shrill cry.

“I don’t like this place,” Aaralyn mumbled, swallowing hard as she stared at a tree, the gaping hole in the middle of its trunk vaguely shaped like a screaming face. She scratched at her right side, just above her hip. “Why are the trees’ bark white? Why are their leaves purple? Why does it look like that one has a face? Mirth,” She whimpered, another shrill cry from the creature filling the humid air. “I don’t like this place.”

“I don’t either, and we’ll get out of here as soon as possible, but we need to eat something, Aaralyn.” He let his gaze wander the too colorful trees. “But why are you so worried about these trees, Aaralyn?” He approached one of them, eyeing the bright purple leaves that shimmered in the sunlight. “I don’t think there’s anything to be afraid of. It just feels…strange. It’s not like we are in any danger.”

“I don’t know, Mirth…” Aaralyn had dropped her pack, pulling out the dried fish and berries they had picked from the oasis. Yet again, she was scratching at her side, dark blue eyes unable to focus on anything but the company of shimmering blues and purples. “I really don’t like this forest.”

Mirth glanced over his shoulder at the food now splayed in front of Aaralyn. He then looked back up at the tree he stood in front of, a large fleshy disk-shaped fruit hanging just out of reach. “The more food, the better,” he mumbled, a long blade of pure energy already forming in his right hand. “I wonder if it tastes good.”

“Mirth, I wouldn’t…” Aaralyn trailed off, reaching for Mirth from where she had sat down, but the Rahib didn’t hear her.

Swinging his energy sickle, Mirth sliced the fruit from its attachment. It landed at his feet with a heavy thud, bright yellow-green skin almost too intense to look at. He tapped the fruit with the toe of his boot before looking at the draping purple leaves just inches from his face. He picked up the dense, disk-shaped fruit, weighing it in his hand.

“It could be poisonous.” Aaralyn watched him, anxiety nearly rolling off her in waves. “I wouldn’t eat it, Mirth. We have food right here, and it's enough for both of us for a few days if we ration it well.”

“But if there’s more food we can pick, why don’t we take advantage of it?” He sniffed the rough, yellow-green skin. “It doesn’t smell bad.” Tucking the fruit under his arm, he leaped up to the next closest fruit, popping it off the low hanging branch. “Here, I got one for you too, Aaralyn.”

“I don’t feel good about that tree.”

“What has gotten into you?” The young man glanced over his shoulder, brows furrowed in confusion. “There’s nothing wrong with this tree.” He tugged on the branch, making it shutter excessively. “See?”

Then something fell from the tree.

Mirth leaped nearly a foot in the air, a misshapen spear of energy in hand, bearing down on the creature that had fallen from the tree. Chest heaving and heart pounding, Mirth found himself staring down another young adult just like he and Aaralyn, this one another male. Dark eyes blinked back at Mirth, fear slowly growing in them.

Mirth stepped back, letting the smaller boy sit up. “What were you doing in a tree?”

“I…was hiding…?” His answer came out more like a question. He struggled to his feet, carefully brushing the dirt from his silken shirt and embroidered trousers. Nervously licking his lips, he ruffled his already messy dark brown hair. “From someone.”

“From someone?” Aaralyn voiced, nearly on her feet. “Why are you hiding from someone?” There was a hint of fear in her voice, eyes already darting to the face in the tree, and the fruits among shimmering purple leaves. She pressed her hand to her right side, dark blue eyes finding the newcomer once more. “Are they dangerous?”

He nervously rubbed his hands together, eyes unable to meet her as he looked at something in the distance. “I…think?” He ran his hands through his hair again, gritting his teeth. “Oh! I don’t know. I was scared of him. He’s a Demon. A Magic Eating Demon, but that doesn’t mean anything, at least that’s what my older brother always says.”

Aaralyn’s eyes only managed to grow wider, and the color drained from her face. “A…magic eating…Demon?”

“It’s not as bad as it sounds!” The newcomer raised his hands in alarm. “Well… He’s isn’t as dangerous as some Demons, but I don’t know why he’s in this forest. I think there’s more Magic-Eaters around here. This forest is really, really full of magic, and that’s probably why they are living here.” He shook his head, waving his hands in front of his face. “Sorry. Sorry, I’m rambling.”

“Okay.” Mirth planted a hand on the smaller boy’s shoulder. “Let’s start with your name. I’m Mirth, and she’s Aaralyn.”

“Ir-Irfan.”

“Okay, Irfan. You were hiding in a tree because a Magic Eating Demon man was chasing after you?” Mirth questioned, one of the disk-fruit still held in his hand.

“No… I was just…running away from him…because I was scared…” Irfan scoffed the parched earth with his foot.

“So, no one’s actually chasing you?” Mirth reiterated.

“Well…no…”

Mirth weighed the two fruits in his hands and walked over to Aaralyn. He offered her one, though she only listlessly held it in her hand. Mirth sniffed the yellow-green fruit again, though he couldn’t help taking notice of how Aaralyn stared at the strange trees. The young man then glanced at Irfan, who was awkwardly fidgeting where he stood. “So…um…Irfan. Do you know if these fruits are edible?”

Irfan’s head snapped up at Mirth. It took a moment for his dark eyes to focus on the fruit in the taller boy’s hand. “Um…yeah.”

Not convinced by the answer, Mirth asked another question. “Have you eaten one before?”

“Yeah. They taste weird, but nothing happened.” Still, Irfan was fidgeting like a ball of over-firing nerves. At any sound, any fliting shadows across the trees, he flinched. He couldn’t keep still for more than a second, and his fingers were constantly working against each other.

“I don’t want to eat it,” Aaralyn muttered, picking at a piece of dried fish. “I just want to get out of here, Mirth.”

With a loud sigh, Mirth seated himself across from Aaralyn. “Okay. I’ll just eat them, and you can have a ration of fish and berries.” He bit into the dense fruit, a strange flavor filling his mouth. It was sweet with a hint of sharp flavors he had no way of identifying. “They don’t taste bad.” He offered the other disk-shaped fruit to the Water Elemental, but she ignored it, popping a small dark berry in her mouth instead.

Mirth took another bite of the fruit and glanced over his shoulder at Irfan, still standing by the tree he had fallen from. “Are you alone, Irfan?”

Irfan didn’t raise his gaze at the question. “Yes.”

“Well…” Mirth thoughtfully chewed on the thick skin of the fruit. “Would you like to travel with us? We’re heading to Bénipryroda’s Ring. It’s—”

“A magical paradise filled with all that you can eat, the freshest water you can drink, and Shifts rarely happen. Yes!” Irfan covered his mouth the moment he shouted his answer. “Yes. I want to go to Bénipryroda’s Ring with you. I know all about it. My family was going there before we were separated because…” He shut his mouth, a blush of embarrassment rising in his tawny cheeks.

“But please. Take me with you. I don’t want to be alone anymore. Not in this creepy forest with Magic Eating Demons.” Irfan approached Mirth, falling onto his knees and clasping Mirth’s hands from where he sat.

“You don’t need to beg.” Mirth shook his hand out of Irfan’s grip. The Rahib gave Irfan a once over. “It’ll be interesting traveling with a Simple-Person.”

“Simple-Person!” Irfan shrieked, sitting back on his knees and hands planted on his hips. “I am not a Simple-Person. I am a Tianshi. I just…haven’t chosen my deity yet, so I haven’t grown my wings.” He glanced away, slight embarrassment coloring his cheeks once more.

“A Tianshi,” Aaralyn breathed. “You’re the race that grows wings, right? Big four feathered wings when you choose your deity to worship, right? And the color of your feathers will match the colors of your deity?”

Irfan nodded.

“What?” Mirth glanced between the two. “What is a Tianshi? I’ve never heard about that race before.”

Irfan fiddled with his fingers. “It’s what Aaralyn said. We are born without wings, but when we choose a deity to worship, we grow four feathered wings. We are blessed with some minor abilities by our deity, and we have a strong connection to our deity and do what they ask for them. Some Tianshi don’t do much, some are asked to bless and curse certain people…”

“You mean…” Mirth skimmed his fingers over his eye. “Wh-what deity are you going to worship, Irfan?”

The Tianshi shrugged. “All my family worships Chishikijñāna, Deity of Knowledge. I’m not sure if I want to worship ae, though…”

Mirth breathed a sigh. “So, you’re still kind of like a Simple-Person if you haven’t grown your wings or been given powers by your deity.”

“I guess…”

Mirth turned back to his fruit. “We should eat our mid-day meal and keep moving. I don’t know how long this forest goes, and I don’t want to run into any trouble. I don’t like the sound of Magic Eating Demons in this forest.” He glanced at Aaralyn, seeing that she was prodding her right side again as she chewed on a chunk of dried fish.

Irfan finally sat beside the other two and took the other fruit Mirth had picked, taking a small bite out of it. The group ate in tense silence until their food was finished. Before they continued on their way, Mirth hacked several pieces of fruit and stuffed them into Aaralyn and Irfan’s bags. Happy to have more food to eat and knowing that Aaralyn was skilled enough to draw water out of the plants or ground around them, he signaled for the small group to keep moving.


	15. He Awakens

Rekka stumbled through the darkness of a complex cave system, a small red-orange flame flickering weakly in her hand. Several days had passed since she last encountered Mirth and finally departed from the massive fissure created by the Shift. Without finding a way across the ravine where she had last seen her family, she had decided to journey onwards. Now, she was traversing a dark cavern in search of a safe, cool place from the midday heat.

“Stupid Rahib,” the Fire Elemental muttered under her breath, glaring into the darkness. Rekka had reluctantly followed Mirth’s path westward when she hadn’t found anything in the ravine. If she had any hope of surviving in the Wastes, it was best if she followed his directions to the false paradise he had spoken of. It was better than walking in circles.

“I hope my family’s alright…” She paused, sweeping the firelight across the cavern where large flat stones lay collapsed on top of one another. A giant, long-legged cockroach scuttled across the wall, long antennae waving as it searched for food. At a snap of her fingers, Rekka set it on fire, pale ashy eyes narrowed as she watched it burn. “I hate bugs.”

The young woman pushed forward, a memory surfacing of her family’s faces staring down at her from the newly formed cliffside during the ending moments of the Shift. The land had split before she could reach them and then risen some hundreds of feet into the air. Her mother and father had stared down at her, along with her second sister, Bhuva. Her other sisters, Enya and Udia, had been nowhere to be seen. All she could hope for was that everyone was okay and that she would see them soon.

Rekka slipped past slick rocks, almost stopped by the temptation to lick the condensation from the damp stone. The water in her canteen had gone dry a day and a half ago, and the headache above her right eye foretold dehydration. Tongue thick and sticking to the roof of her mouth, she still couldn’t bring herself to lean closer to the rocks, knowing the same type of insect as the cockroach she had burned moments ago walked on those stones.

Sliding through the narrow passageway, Rekka soon found herself in a widened chamber, her heart dropping with relief. She could hear the sound of running water. The young woman pushed her way through another passageway, this one narrower than the first, sides squeezing in on her and scraping her tanned skin. She tried to keep her breathing even, though her racing heart betrayed her anxiety.

And then the passageway opened up once more, water reflecting her red-orange flame. Rekka dropped to her knees, her fire wrapping up her arm as she dunked her hands into the water. The liquid boiled, steam filling the cave. She so desperately wanted to guzzle the cold water, but her father had always taught her to boil any water she found. She had also learned from watching her two middle sisters, Bhuva and Enya, whom one time had a bout of loose stool and vomiting when they did not boil the water they had found by themselves.

Barely waiting for the water to cool off, Rekka gulped down the near-boiling water, hardly noticing the heat running down her throat and pooling in her stomach. As she was slurping down the hot water, the reflection of her fire’s light caught her attention. On the edge of the stream, too far from her, a soft glow reflected in the water. It wasn’t her fire.

Water dripping from her chin, Rekka dragged her gaze upwards to the source of the light. A soft orange glow emanated from a small gap between sleek, dark stone. Wiping away the last of the water, Rekka rose to her feet, approaching the fiery glow. Her own fire cast light on smooth, black stone. It was unlike the rock around it, and only a large piece of it, larger than her, lay in the back of the cavern. Rekka took another step closer.

The stone was moving.

No. It was breathing.

Rekka traced the outline of a humanoid shape, heart racing. She stumbled backward, tripping over her feet and falling into the water. Her fire extinguished when her shoulder splashed into the water. Rekka lay perfectly still, barely daring to breathe and cursing her panting for being too loud. She waited some seconds in a long silence, watching for any movement in the slumbering monster.

He did not move.

Slowly, Rekka climbed to her feet, the smallest of red flames blooming in the palm of her hand. She kept it close to herself and approached Odysseus’s unconscious form. In a stupidly risky decision, she kicked a small stone into his sleek obsidian-like flesh. It bounced off the tar colored skin, the Terror of the Wastes not waking.

“Immortals can live through almost everything.” Rekka reminded herself, barely able to comprehend that the man had fallen into a newly opened ravine, survived, and was now slumbering in front of her. All in only a few days. Wounds no longer marred his body, the gaping hole in his eye socket gone, and the blood-gushing wounds in his torso healed over, leaving smooth obsidian-like skin.

She should have run rather than stand and stare down the unconscious beast, but she couldn’t believe she was in his presence once more and didn’t need to run for her life. The Fire Elemental had survived him once already, which was a feat in and of itself. Seeing him for a second time was even greater. Through her quivering fear, Rekka heard her father’s voice in the back of her mind. Fear was a weakness, and she should not show it. She was powerful, she should not run. Odysseus was unconscious, he could do no harm.

Rekka’s eyes trailed upwards to the large stone teeth hanging from the roof of the cavern. One just so happened to hang directly over Odysseus’s sleeping form. Impaling the Terror of the Wastes would get her name spoken in legends, even if she was the only one that spoke of them. Yes, it would make her father proud, and she would be known throughout the land as one of few who battled with Odysseus and lived to tell the tale.

Rekka only had one shot to loosen the stone tooth. Releasing a long, slow, steady breath, she stepped back, hands cupped over one another and pressed close to her stomach. A dark red flame formed in the center of her palm, lapping at her fingers as it grew a deep, richer red, streaked with brilliant orange. Biting back a caterwaul, Rekka wound back her arm and launched a solidified fireball at the base of the stone tooth.

Swearing under her breath, she stumbled back to the passageway she had slipped through, barely able to see the dark red flames curling around the base of the stone. Small cracks had spiderwebbed across the surface, but there was no telling how durable the stone was. She hoped it was fragile like some of the rocks around it.

Then, the stone tooth fell.

Rekka had to cover her ears when Odysseus roared. Immediately, he wrenched the stone from his chest, pits of fire that were his eyes glancing up at the stone ceiling before his gaze snapped to Rekka. She hadn’t thought about the consequences, had she? Heart pounding in her ears, she could only stare, rooted to the cave floor.

Dark blood gushing from the gaping wound in his chest, Odysseus slowly climbed to his feet. His demonic-volcanic appearance melted away into something less monstrous. His skin still held the same tarry-black color, and two sets of horns adorned the back of his skull while a set of spines jutted from his elbows. He ran a tongue across his dried lips, revealing serrated teeth. Claws dragged across the cavern wall until he stopped in front of the quivering Rekka.

“You were the girl with the Rahib boy.” Embers of orange and yellow danced in his irises, the glow reflecting off his still inhuman skin. He pressed a large, clawed hand to his bleeding wound, a smile growing on his dark lips. “Tell him that I’m waiting.”

He shoved Rekka into the passageway she had been cowering in, his dark chuckle echoing within the chamber. “Find him, little Fire Elemental. Find him for me so I can rip out his heart with my bare hands.”


End file.
